Remembering Chax
by dancingwithglitter
Summary: Sequel to "CHAX"- same fun, flirty characters ;  someone gets shot at a wedding? someone loses their memory? people from the past come back? ... Baby Braxtons... maybe? READ ON!
1. Bullets

**If you are just tuning in! Make sure you read the first story CHAX before this one; otherwise it will be damn confusing! Ha-ha (even recap on the last chapter if you want so that it makes sense) **

**OK, this is the beginning of the new CHAX. I am taking on board the alternate ending where you will discover what could have happened on the wedding day.**

**I loved taking the last CHAX on a journey with you & I hope that you all read on and enjoy this new fanfic.**

**I love the characters and your reviews, tell me your thoughts and things you loved or liked about each chapter in reviews. XX**

**The first part may not make sense as much, Charlie has just woken up from dreaming about her wedding (you assume that it was the last chapter of CHAX that she dreamt about) she is paranoid that Georgia is actually dead so I hope you understand xxxx**

**.**

**Is it just me or does Henri on Home and Away have a similar back-story to 'Georgia' they both have romantic history with Heath and have kind of a surrogate mother relationship with Casey.**

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DAYS UNTILL WEDDING: NONE

Charlie woke up breathlessly; her chest was heaving back and forth and her face was flushed. Charlie ran her hands through her long hair and wiped the sweat off her face ferociously. Her mind kept flashing back to the dream- _Georgia's blood flowed through her hands; she watched Georgia's eyes slowly close and Heath's blood-curdling cries echoed through her mind._ Charlie had dreamed about what her wedding day was like- death and pain was all that it had brought;

Brax rolled over and wiped his eyes sleepily, he propped himself up onto his elbows 'Hey, what's up?' he whispered raising his arm slightly and rubbing Charlie's thigh to comfort her.

Her bloodshot eyes found Brax 'I dreamt about our wedding' she breathed

Brax smiled and sat up. 'How was it?' He asked happily

Charlie felt tears form around her eyes as her mind floated back to the vivid memories in her mind. 'I have to call Georgia' Charlie suddenly decided, she hurriedly reached for her mobile but Brax grabbed her hand to stop her. Charlie struggled against Brax's grip. 'Stop it, I need to check that Georgia is ok' Charlie insisted. Brax pulled Charlie away from the phone once more until she gave in to his resistance. 'Why, Charlie its 1 in the morning?' He asked confused

Charlie pouted lightly and stifled back tears. 'Georgia is dead, her body- I saw her body in my dream' she whispered.

Brax looked even more confused, he pulled Charlie's body into his own. 'She is fine, Georgie isn't dead- it was just a nightmare' Brax soothed, he stroked Charlie's sweating forehead.

Charlie was still worked up; the dream had seemed so real. She had fully believed that Georgia had died in their arms.

'Please just let me check?' Charlie whispered after a moment of silence had passed. Brax sighed, he wiped the sleep out of his eyes and grabbed his mobile of the bedside table. He punched in Georgia's speed-dial and let it ring on loudspeaker.

Charlie bit her fingernails nervously as the phone's ring echoed through the dark bedroom. 'Why, why isn't she answering?' she murmered

Brax stifled a laugh '_Maybe _because its 1am in the morning'

Charlie let a small smile escape before focusing her eyes back on the mobile in Brax's hand. 'That wasn't funny' she muttered.

Brax kissed Charlie's forehead in response.

'Hello. What. I'm still asleep' Georgia's voice suddenly muttered through the phone quietly

Brax felt Charlie let out a breath of air in relief.

'Hey, Georgie are you ok?' Brax asked playing along with Charlie's imagination to prove that Georgia was still alive.

'You…called me at 1 in the morning to check that I am _ok_?' Georgia snapped back through the phone

Charlie giggled happily 'You are alive!' she laughed

'Uh, yeah…surprise' Georgia muttered.

Charlie closed her eyes and lied back on the bed. Her dream had been so real but it had been a dream. Georgia was alive, the wedding was today and everything was going to be ok.

'So, you guys both...just awake at 1?' Georgia laughed through the phone

'Yeah' Brax breathed

'Do you want to uh get some pizza?' she asked

Charlie sat up in shock 'Get pizza at one in the morning?' She laughed

'I'm hungry and I feel like pizza' Georgia giggled

'You know what. Lets do it, lets get some pizza' Brax agreed

'Yep, ill meet you at the beach in 20 minutes' Georgia said before hanging up the phone.

Charlie began to rise off the bed but Brax pulled her back softly. He pulled her body into his own for a hug. 'Are you ok, now?' Brax whispered into her ear. Charlie nodded and kissed Brax's neck lightly before standing up from the bed.

'We probably should be sleeping, its our wedding day today- its going to be a long day' Brax said as Charlie pulled on a pair of jeans, the blue denim hugged her legs. 'Think of it as an early breakfast' Charlie murmered. Brax stood up as well and began to walk out of the bedroom while holding a T-shirt and trying to pull it over his head.

'Don't you need to get changed' Charlie asked staring at Brax's strangely patterned boxer shorts that he had been sleeping in.

Brax smirked while poking his head back around the doorway. 'Charlie, babe. It's one in the morning; I am going to wear my _sexy_ boxers, there is no one to impress at _one in the morning_' he winked

Charlie giggled and lowered her jeans 'Ok; so, should I wear my pajamas as well?' she laughed

Brax nodded threw Charlie her nightie; she slipped it over her head and pulled on a pair of boxers underneath. 'Ready to go?' she asked swinging her hips and showing off her checkered boxers. Brax laughed and looped his hand around Charlie's waist. The two of them snuck out of the house, the sky was still pitch black and the air was cool against their skin. Charlie stared up at the sky for a moment before clinging onto Brax's hand and pulling him down the path towards the beach. It was the day of their wedding and Charlie wouldn't have imagined that she would be awake at one o'clock in the morning going out for pizza wearing boxers. Then again, her life was full of surprises.

The waves dark waves crashed onto the shore, the white foam spilt over Charlie and Brax's feet as they wandered along the beach.

'I can see Georgie' Charlie said, she pointed to a dark figure standing on the beach. Brax nodded and began to walk up the sand dunes;

Georgia was sitting on the sand wearing a baggy loose T-shirt that hung on her skinny body. When she heard Brax and Charlie walking towards her, her face peered upwards and she plastered a cheeky grin on her face.

'Hey' she winked

Brax sat next to her on the sand and pulled Charlie down lightly next to him.

'Hey Georgie' Brax smiled

Charlie nodded in Georgia's direction.

The three of them looked out at the beach for a moment. The only sound was of the wind whipping through the air and the waves crashing on the shore

'Heath is staying with Ambz, its why he couldn't come' Georgia spoke up breaking the silence.

'Probably a good thing; he always eats the most food- more pizza for us' Brax smirked.

Georgia laughed before standing up and pulling both Brax and Charlie to their feet. 'Lets go get free pizza from Angelos' she insisted

Brax nodded and pulled Charlie into a quick loose hug before walking hand-in-hand with her across the beach next to Georgia.

.

'Ham' Charlie insisted placing a few piece of cut-up ham on the pizza base.

Georgia hoisted her body up onto the counter next to the pizza. 'Some prawns' Georgia added reaching into the bowl and flicking a few prawns onto the pizza.

Brax smirked at her choice. 'Eww, Georgie. You don't eat prawns _with_ ham- it has to be one or the other' Brax stated as-matter-of-fact.

Georgia scoffed 'Hello Mr. Boring-Pizza-maker' she said sarcastically

'I agree with G, sorry babe. Prawns and ham are delicious' Charlie licked her lips lightly.

'Fine, fine just put extra cheese on it and I'll be fine' Brax muttered, he got a tray out of one of the cupboards in the kitchen of Angelos and swung it over to the counter, Georgia raised the pizza onto the tray and Charlie quickly sprinkled on a few extra ingredients before putting the tray in the oven. The three of them sat in the empty restaurant as it cooked in the oven.

Brax left to go wash up the utensils in the kitchen, the two girls heard clanging and banging as he struggled to contain the bubbly water in the sink.

'Brax told me you had a bad dream about your wedding' Georgia said

'Mmm' Charlie replied, she looked at the ground and fiddled with her fingers

'What was it about?' Georgia added slowly, her voice drew out the words lightly

'It was scary, I can't remember it all- you got shot and died, its all I can really remember' Charlie muttered

Georgia widened her eyes 'Hmm. I do seem to get all the dramatic roles in peoples dreams' she glanced at Charlie and winked

Charlie smiled lightly.

A few moments later Brax came out of the kitchen juggling a bottle of water and the tray of pizza in his hands.

'It smells delicious' Charlie grinned clapping her hands as Brax placed it on the table

Georgia immediately snagged a piece of the hot pizza in her hand. 'Ouchy, ouch' she squealed while poking the pizza in her mouth and shaking her burnt hands.

The three of them ate their pizza and talked for a while, after a while Brax noticed the time and insisted that they leave.

'I can't believe we just did that' Charlie laughed as Brax led her back across the beach towards their house

'I know' Brax murmered 'Now cummon, we have at least 4 hours of sleep left that we can get if we hurry up home' Brax said

Charlie pouted and closed her eyes, she leant her body lightly onto Brax's chest. 'My legs hurt' she murmered 'to much walking' Charlie nuzzled her head into Brax's neck.

He laughed and quickly put his arms around her. Brax scooped Charlie up into his arms and she quickly obliged by looping her arms around his neck and snuggling into his body. 'I'll carry you home' Brax smiled

Charlie merely nodded and closed her eyes once again, leaning into Brax's warm body.

Brax carried Charlie home; she fell asleep in his arms as they walked. Charlie's breaths tickled Brax's neck. They arrived home and Brax tried to unhook Charlie's arms from around his neck. 'No' she murmered refusing to let go, Brax sighed and sat on the couch with Charlie still molded into his body. It was actually quite comfortable, the placement of the pillows on the couch allowed Brax to lie his head back. The two of them went back to sleep, their bodies still linked and Charlie's arms still hugging Brax's neck.

.

The next morning Georgia sat behind her desk at work. She rubbed her eyes to remove sleep- 1am pizza, bad idea.

A sudden knock at her office door awoke her from her trance

'Huh, uh um. Come in' Georgia muttered awakening from her sleepy trance.

'Detective C, you look shit' Callum laughed walking into her office and observing her tired look.

Callum worked in the governments Criminal law and authorization department, he only ever visited if it was an emergency.

'Thanks Callum, what do you want?' Georgia snapped sarcastically.

He found the seat opposite Georgia's desk and sat down quickly.

'You are a great detective- you do great work but..' Callum began

Georgia stuck her head up 'What, what is this about?' she interrupted

'I am merely investigating a few suspicious decisions made by you in the past week or so'

Georgia rolled her eyes 'My gun- I told you on the phone that I have already officially reported it missing'

Callum looked at her sternly 'Georgia, this is about your immediate bail request on the Pirovic brothers'

Georgia merely let out a laugh 'That is a stupid decision- one that _I _didn't make' She insisted

'Georgia calm down. I am just wondering why such a risky decision was organized without any assistance'

Georgia stood up in a rush 'F***ing hell Callum. I didn't request any bail- I haven't touched the Pirovic files in months. Someone must have- maybe hacked into my email and sent the request under my name' Georgia cried

'So we have two high-level criminal just freely walking the streets' Callum spat in an icy tone.

'It wasn't my god damn fault'

Callum rubbed his head and groaned 'this is so f***ing corrupted Georgia'

'It probably has something to do with my gun missing' She thought to herself

'Whatever, maybe. Right now, our focus needs to be on finding both Harman and Jake Pirovic and finding out who their accomplice was'

Georgia leant back in her seat 'you do believe me, right? That I'm not involved..' she added a bit more quietly

Callum raised from his chair 'Yeah, I believe you but someone between these walls is doing a brilliant job of setting you up'

'I need you to organize Road blocks' Callum added before exiting her office

'I'm sorry Call- I can't. I have a wedding to get to' Georgia apologized she felt guilty that there was nothing more she could do to help.

Callum rolled his eyes 'Yeah all right but don't even mention to anyone that the Pirovic brothers are out- since they have an accomplice who is working undercover as a cop… it could be anyone'

Georgia nodded and watched her office door slam shut behind Callum.

.

Meanwhile Charlie was sitting on the couch in her house. Bianca and Ruby were both sitting opposite her in single seats. Ruby kept staring at Charlie and Bianca continued to subconsciously check the time on her watch.

'Charlie, babe. We need you start to get ready' Bianca said softly

Charlie crossed her legs on the couch and pulled on the sleeves of her baggy grey jumper that she was currently donning. 'I just want to wait… a few more minutes- Georgia will come'

Ruby connected eyes with Bianca 'Mum, I think that Georgia would want you to get ready- she will be back before photos'

Charlie sighed and nodded, she reached for a glass of champagne and changed her attitude. It was wedding day, her goddamn wedding day. Georgia would be back but for now Charlie gets to enjoy her special day.

Charlie rose from the couch and quickly downed her champagne, the sweet bubbles poured down her throat and she grinned at the two girls. Bianca sat behind Charlie and began to fix her hair. Charlie felt her long hair flow around her shoulders, her cheeks flushed as the excitement and exhilaration kicked in.

Weddings were a big deal in Charlie's family, it was one of the only times that they got to see all their friends and family. It was different this time though- Charlie had begun to see all her friends _as_ her family- both her parents were dead so she clung onto her friends with all her might. This wedding wasn't about meeting up and reminiscing with old family members- it was about creating new ones, Charlie realized that she would soon be related by marriage to many of the people closest to her. This wedding was not just binding her life to Brax but binding her to an entire new journey with new people, friends and family.

'You look beautiful' Ruby breathed taking Charlie out of her trance; She thrusted a mirror into Charlie's view and smiled. Brown hair perfectly combed into soft and loose curls that framed Charlie's face, her fringe was carefully pinned away with a diamond clip that Bianca had given her as an engagement gift.

'Ok, make-up and hair is done' Bianca smiled from behind Charlie, she kissed the air next to Charlie's cheek and stood next to Ruby.

'Can you please call Georgia again, I just want to know where she is' Charlie sighed.

Bianca smiled stiffly 'I'll try calling Georgia again _if_ you agree to let Ruby help put your dress on'

'Fine' Charlie giggled

Ruby immediately went to go collect the elegant wedding dress from the cupboard; she rushed back into the living room with the silky material folded through her arms. 'I come bearing a beautiful wedding dress' Ruby sung presenting the gown to Charlie with her arms spread out, bestowing the off-white dress like it was an offering. Charlie softly grazed the material with her hands

'You ready, to you know- put it on?' Ruby asked

Charlie nodded and pulled her jumper off her head. Her enter body felt exhilarated as the expensive material hugged her curves and it felt complete once Ruby tied the satin bow around her waist.

Bianca poked her head back around the corner 'You look stunning'

'Any word from G?'

'Uhhm, no well not yet' Bianca replied

.

Georgia didn't go straight to Charlie's house. She couldn't, their were two crazy criminals on the loose, someone sabotaging her career and someone undercover helping the crazy criminals. She couldn't' put on a fancy dress and ignore the truth, she had to find the brothers and bring them back to jail. Georgia felt pained inside; she knew that she should call Charlie or Brax and explain why she was running so damn late but what would she say? Callum had already insisted that they keep the entire situation a secret so what could she honestly say as an excuse to not being their to help one of her closest friends get ready for her wedding, nothing. Nothing was the best choice.

Georgia parked her car opposite a bus top; she stepped out of the car and quickly flicked her sunglasses over her eyes. Georgia scanned the area with her eyes looking for the Pirovic house. Both the brothers had made a purchase together around 6 years ago. They bought a property near the bush, an abandoned house. It was the only place that Georgia could think of where they would be hiding out.

Suddenly she saw an old bricked house hidden beneath twisted branches and tall messy hedges. It was the house. Georgia grabbed her replacement gun (it was not as impressive or as sexy as her old one but hey, it was just a replacement) She clutched the base of it and slowly walked towards the house. Georgia stepped upto front verandah of the house. The wooden planks creaked underneath her steps. Georgia stood in front of the front door- had she thought this through enough? Could she handle both of the brothers? Uh, you never know if you don't try…I guess.

Georgia kicked down the door with a swift and heavy kick of her foot.

There was a dark hallway in front of her; she slowly stepped inside holding the gun in front of her body protectively. There was no sign of either of the brothers.

Suddenly Georgia heard the front door slam shut behind her.

'Thanks for approving our bail Detective' A voice whispered from behind her. Before Georgia could turn around she had been shot through the shoulder. The pain was excruciating and Georgia immediately dropped to the floor, she clamped her shaking hand over the bullet wound and stared at Jake Pirovic who was currently standing over her. 'Oy Hammer we have a visitor' He called out

Georgia attempted to grab hold of her gun that had spun out of her hand in shock when she was shot. Jake put his foot on her gun is kicked it far don the other end of the hallway. Hammer walked out of a room and observed Georgia's bleeding body. 'You shot her?' Hammer cried 'We were only meant to get Buckton!'

Jake rolled his eyes 'We can still get Buckton but this bitch would have shot us if we didn't get her first'

'You have horrible aim' Georgia smirked through her pain.

Jake drew his eyes back to her 'I was not trying to kill you Miss Callahan, at least not yet' he whispered icily.

Hammer looked at Georgia nervously, he wiped his sweating palms down his legs.

Jake moved towards Georgia's bleeding body and tied her legs to a chair.

'Let me go' Georgia cried, her arms still clutching the bullet wound on her shoulder. Jake smiled at her sadistically 'I am going to kill your friend now, and there is nothing you can do about it' with that comment he walked out the front door, gun in hand. Georgia felt tears fall down her cheeks.

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Charlie smiled into the camera, her eyes widened as the camera's flash snapped in her eyesight. Both Bianca and Ruby stood next to her; their arms carefully poised fro the photos.

'She could be dead…in a ditch' Charlie whispered to Bianca, her mouth was still frozen in a smile fro the camera.

'She will be fine- I'm sure she has just lost track of time' Bianca replied

'I can't believe she isn't here yet' Ruby added.

Charlie fidgeted uncomfortably in her dress. It was 10 minutes left until they had to leave, Photos were almost done and Georgia hadn't arrived. No one had heard from her.

The photographer lowered the camera 'Ladies, for a perfect photo=- I need smiles and no talking' he forced a smile on his face.

Charlie shook her head- Georgia was filling her head, but it was her wedding day and she couldn't afford to worry about anyone but herself today.

The photos ended and Bianca pulled a bottle of champagne from her bag, she passed out small glasses to each of the women and poured a final glass of the bubbly fluid into the glasses. They clinked their glasses joyfully and downed the champagne in one gulp before pulling each other in a deep hug.

'I love you mum' Ruby breathed

'Me to sweetie' Charlie replied kissing the top of Ruby's head.

Bianca pulled away from the hug as she got a text, her phone vibrated in her bag. Bianca checked the message and let out a squeal 'Ooh, I got a message from the driver saying that the Limo is here!'

Charlie grinned and shook her hips excitedly. The three girls walked towards the shiny, elegant white car and sat on the cushioned leather seats.

.

Brax stood at the alter proudly; he couldn't strip his eyes away from the aisle in front of him.

'You excited?' Heath asked

'Yeah, you got the ring?' Brax replied twisting his head to face Heath.

'Yeah, Its in my jacket pocket' Heath patted the jacket pocket and shook it lightly so that Brax could hear the small jewelry box shake in the satin pocket.

'Good, I thought you'd forget' Brax chuckled

'Wow, you have so much faith in me' Heath smiled sarcastically.

Brax rolled his eyes; 'Charlie will be here soon'

Suddenly Heath looked over Brax's shoulder and he smiled lightly 'Speak of the devil' He nodded at the white limousine that had just pulled up.

Brax straightened up 'How do I look?' He asked Heath quickly

'Dashing' Heath mocked before standing tall and waiting for the sounds of the wedding music to begin.

.

Charlie got out of the limo

'This is it, I'm getting married' She breathed, Ruby leant over and brushed her hand over Charlie's dress.

'Georgia…' Charlie began

'Is not your problem right now, you get to focus on yourself and your new life' Ruby interrupted

Charlie took a deep breath 'Yeah, you are right but I just, remember my dream. I dreamt about her dying'

'Charlie, I dreamt that I married Jude law last night- and as fabulous as that would be, dreams aren't real. They are your imagination' Bianca added

Charlie looked away; Georgia still hadn't turned up to her wedding. Something must be wrong, why else would she ditch their wedding?'

Charlie tried to ignore her worries and she focused on the big picture of today, a marriage- her marriage. She stepped onto the entrance of the aisle and immediately found Brax at the end of it, he was smiling at her and just seeing him there reminded Charlie that it would be ok, everything was going to be ok.

Bianca and Ruby walked down the aisle first, their pale purple dresses shone in the sunlight. The classical music echoed through the air and its soothing sound felt intoxicating and very romantic. Heath suddenly looked very confused, bridesmaid 1, bridesmaid 2 then Charlie down the aisle. Where was Georgia?

.

Blood continued to leak out of her bullet wound. Georgia cringed as a stab of pain shot through her body. Hammer walked into the room with a scrunched up T-shirt. He awkwardly leant down next to Georgia holding the T-shirt in front of him

'Are you going to-' she took a pained breath 'Use that' she nodded in the direction of the shirt 'To strangle me?'

'No, its for the blood' He muttered in response.

'Well I don't want your filthy shirt' Georgia spat

Hammer sighed but remained seated next to her 'I didn't want to do this. I didn't want to leave. I just wanted to ride out my sentence at jail then get on with my life but Jake managed to drag me into this entire scheme'

'Who are you working with? Who is setting me up?' Georgia asked angrily

Hammer didn't respond for a moment, he moved his hand closer to Georgia and slowly began to put pressure on her wound 'Her name is Loren, she is our sister…she was the one who got us out on bail and she was the one that took your gun'

Georgia shrugged Hammer's hand off her wound 'Please, just let me go'

'I can't, Jake will-'

'Jake is gone- probably about to kill my friends at there wedding'

Hammer shook his head 'I can't let you go, sorry'

'Hammer, I will tell the police that you tried to help me. I can help you…if you help me. You are a good guy; you just got roped into your brother's bad ways. Don't let him bring you down again, be yourself and make your own decisions. Cut loose from the gang and help me.'

He looked up at Georgia 'Don't hurt my brother' He murmured before cutting the rope around Georgia's legs free. She immediately stumbled to her feet and grabbed her gun. 'I have to do this' Georgia used to rope and tied Hammers arms to the same chair. He didn't fight it, merely dropping his head and frowning,

'Thankyou Harman' She whispered before struggling out the door.

Georgia stuffed her gun in her pocket and clutched her wound while racing towards her car.

**.**

The vows were spoken; they were honest truths about their love. The vows that they each said were like the unspoken honesties and vulnerabilities of their love. They reminded each other of why they were in love and why the relationship was worth fighting for all that time. Charlie felt a slow tear drip down her cheek as Brax finished his vows. 'I love you' she mouthed

'Me to' Brax replied in a whisper

There was a small silence as they both allowed the vows to set in.

Suddenly Heath gasped 'Holy crap', his loud voice ripped through the serene atmosphere.

His sudden outburst forced Charlie and Brax to follow Heath's gaze to where Georgia was standing. Her thin body was almost collapsed; her entire outfit was drenched in her blood.

Charlie immediately froze, what was going on?

Heath raced down from his spot at the alter; he immediately grabbed Georgia in his arms. Her slight body collapsed into his arms 'Stop, the wedding. Everyone needs to leave' she murmered

'What? What are you talking about? Someone dial 000' Heath called out in a panic.

'No, I'm fine' she muttered attempting to stand up. 'Charlie!' She called out 'Charlie, Brax you both need to leave!'

Brax put a hand around Charlie's waist protectively; they were both so confused of what's going on. Charlie nestled herself into Brax's clutch. 'Georgie, what's going on? What happened to you?' Brax asked

'Its not important what happened to _me_. What's important is what's going to happen to _you_ if you don't leave, now!' Georgia replied in a mix of scared pain and frustration.

Suddenly the wedding guests gasped. 'I guess that my brother decided to let you go Detective C' a sharp voice spoke. Heath immediately covered Georgia with his body and he moved her backwards.

Jake had arrived. He was leaning against a podium smiling evilly; both his hands were playing with a gun.

Brax stood in front of Charlie, his arms bending backwards still clutching onto Charlie's nervous, shaking hands. Jake ran a hand casually through his hair then he poised the gun in his steady hands and pointed it at Brax.

'I had an agenda for today, I came to give Charlie a message' Jake began

The wedding guests shuffled backwards, slowly they escaped the scene.

'I'm scared' Charlie whispered behind Brax's back.

Brax kept his eyes glued to Jake but he squeezed her hands lightly to acknowledge that he understood and was not going to let anything happen to her.

'We need an ambulance for Georgia' Heath interrupted

'I'm fine' Georgia interrupted, her voice quiet and insecure- obviously fading;

Jake laughed 'Ok, lets make a deal. I'll get an ambulance for the detective _if_ you let me talk with Charlie'

Charlie couldn't believe what she was hearing. She was in a situation where the decisions were as risky as the outcome. Unknown, the outcome of either situation was painfully unknown.

'No, you are not talking with her' Brax growled

Jake let no emotion show on his face, he glanced at Georgia who was currently leaning on Heath's lap on the floor.

'Brax, why don't you pick?' Jake asked

'What do you mean?'

'You and Callahan are supposedly best friends and you love Charlie. Pick, which one do you want to survive?'

Brax felt his stomach drop, all the air leaped from inside him. How do you pick between the woman that you are in love with and the girl who has been your best friend for as long as you can remember.

Georgia's eyes flickered open. 'You can pick Charlie, sweetie. Its ok' she whispered. Heath bit his lip harshly to avoid saying anything, concealed cries escaped his lips.

Charlie suddenly spoke up 'Jake, you just want to talk?' She said reassuring his proposition

'Be quiet, don't talk to him' Brax whispered harshly

'Yes Charlie, just a small chat and your friend will be ok'

Charlie nodded; she released her hands from Brax's strong grip. 'I love you' she whispered to him before stepping from behind Brax.

'So…you uh wanted to talk' Charlie began

Jake smiled, his mouth widened into a massive wicked grin. 'I lied' he growled and with that, Jake raised the gun.

Bang.

Charlie dropped to the floor.

.

**Please read and review xxx**

**I hope the chapter made sense, remember it's an alternate ending to CHAX**

**Tell me what you like and which bits you enjoyed. **


	2. Speechless

**HEY GUYS!**

**Next chapter update, please read! Xxx**

**.**

The day had ended. There had been no marriage, sweet vows had been spoken but no binding documents had been signed.

There was blood and bullets.

Charlie dropped to the ground.

Brax saw her body collapse in slow motion. Brax immediately pounced onto Jake, his fists grinding into Jake's body. Brax pummeled Jake with all his might, anger exploded out of his uncontrollable body.

'Brax, let him go. It's not worth it. Charlie needs help' Georgia called out

Brax let go at Hammer as Georgia's words sunk in. Charlie, his Charlie needed help.

Ruby was currently crying and holding Charlie's head in her hands. Blood continued to seep through the white lace of the wedding dress. Her eyes were shut and no amount of spoken words would wake her.

Heath stood up and watched Jake run away. F*** he thought to himself. Heath lightly picked up Georgia's slight body and he held her closely to his chest. Her wound was not as serious as Charlie's but she had been bleeding for much longer and the amount of blood loss could potentially be fatal.

Brax felt his hands shake with terror as he attempted to dial 000. He eyed Charlie's unconscious bleeding body and pressed dial on the phone.

Heath- still holding Georgia, walked upto Brax signaling for him to hang-up the phone.

Ruby watched Brax hang-up the phone and place his mobile back in his pocket 'what, are you doing? Charlie, she needs help!' Ruby cried as tears continued to spill down her cheeks

'Rubz, if we wait for an ambulance to come…it will be too late. We need to drive both the girls to the hospital ourselves' Heath explained, his voice was shaking with terror but he was certain that it was the right decision.

Ruby didn't seem to understand 'what? No, an ambulance needs to come. My mum is dying' she wept; Ruby curled her arms underneath Charlie's body as Brax put pressure on the wound.

'So is my wife! Do you really think that I want her to f***ing die as well?' Heath cried, his voice was angry but mainly sad.

'Stop this guys, stop shouting; Heath, is right though. If we drive, it will be quicker. I will call the hospital on the way to inform them that we are coming' Brax interrupted.

Heath shook his head but immediately carried Georgia into the car.

'Get in the car, Ruby. I've got Charlie' Brax whispered staring at his wife, his girl.

Ruby reluctantly let go of her mum and Brax scooped her body into his arms. He felt tears form in his eyes. Brax doesn't cry, he always shielded sadness but this situation had him encaptured in the most vulnerable place that he could be. Brax raced Charlie over to the car; his hands clutched her body close to his chest as he slid into the seat with Charlie still resting on his lap.

'Heath, mate. Ruby can't drive, look at the state she's in' Brax whispered, nodding in the direction of Ruby who was currently heaving deep breaths and uncontrollably crying.

'I'm not leaving her' Heath whispered to Brax, his eyes glued to Georgia's now unconscious body.

'Heath' Brax looked at his brother 'I won't let anything happen to her' Brax put a hand over Georgia's wound and Heath quickly got out of the car, slamming the door shut behind him. Heath turned the car's ignition on and began to drive towards the hospital.

Brax had both girls leaning on him. He was cradling Charlie in his hands though, their was so much blood- so much bleeding. He quickly wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his shirt. 'Eyes on the road Heath' Brax instructed as he saw Heath attempt to look back at Georgia. 'Ruby' Brax then said softly. Her cries quieted and she turned to face Brax. 'I need you to call the hospital and tell them that we are almost there' his voice was calming and appeared to be in control. Ruby nodded and began to dial on her mobile.

Brax pushed part of Charlie's long hair out of her face. She looked absolutely stunning; it was almost impossible to come to terms with what's happening.

'How is Georgia?'

'Check for a pulse?'

'Is it there?'

'Can you feel anything? Brax is there a pulse?' Heath demanded questions, his voice nervous and chattery

Brax moved his hand onto Georgia's neck. He subconsciously held his breath as he moved his fingers, rapidly searching for a pulse. His fingers felt a faint movement underneath her skin.

'She is alive but her pulse is weakening'

'How about Charlie?' Ruby asked

Brax looked down to Charlie and he quickly tried to listen for a heartbeat. Her chest remained still, her body had gone cold and blood was still seeping through Brax's fingers.

'Damnit. Hurry up Heath' Brax called out.

Heath pulled a sharp turn around the corner and Brax let out a sigh of relief as he saw the hospital down the street. He felt tears form in his eyes. Brax wasn't ready to let Charlie go- he would never be ready. She had to wake-up, it was the only way Brax would survive.

.

Brax crashed through the emergency doors; he frantically looked for a doctor. Heath came through a moment after followed by Ruby. 'I need help' Brax called out

Doctors peered at the brothers holding the weakened girls.

'Someone, please' Heath added

The girls were immediately put on gurneys and rolled into an ER. Brax and Heath were told to stay in the waiting room along with Ruby.

Brax couldn't stop moving- it was horrible knowing that Charlie was in ER, fighting for her life when he couldn't do anything to save her. Brax was supposed to protect her, he would have taken a bullet for her, and he would have taken a gun full of bullets for her- but it was to late now, Charlie took the bullet and she was paying for it.

'Uhhm, We have Georgia Callahan Braxton in an emergency room, am I able to speak with her husband?' A doctor asked suddenly

Heath nervously rose from his seat and followed the doctor to a smaller room.

Brax continued to wait for some indication that Charlie was ok. No one had even mentioned her current condition. Ruby slid into the seat next to Brax. 'I know that on paper you aren't officially Charlie's husband but we both know that you two are supposed to be married now and if…if I need any help making decisions, I want you to help' Ruby murmered

Brax put an arm around her and nodded.

Heath walked back into the room, his face had paled tremendously.

'Hey' Brax said softly 'How is she?'

'Lost a lot of blood, she needs blood Brax'

'Well, isn't that what hospitals are for?' Brax asked

Heath looked directly at him 'They have run out of Georgie's type- apparently their was a train crash earlier today and they are almost out of all types while helping those patients'

Brax swallowed. He knew that without blood Georgia would die.

Heath sunk into his chair; he covered his head with his hands. Ruby leant forward. 'What blood type is Georgia?' she asked

Heath looked up from his hands and quickly wiped his eyes that had glossed over with tears.

'She is uhh…type A negative' Heath responded

Ruby nodded to herself for a moment, her body had stilled as she contemplated something. 'I'm A neg as well, I would donate blood to her in a second but-' Ruby began

Heath's face immediately lightened as he heard the good news

'**But, **diabetics can't donate blood' Brax ended, Heath's face crumbled again.

Suddenly a different doctor came to stand in front of them, his hands were holding a folder of papers and he looked directly at Brax .'You, Mr. Braxton…you brought in Miss Charlie Buckton?' He stammered quickly referring to his bundle of scribbled notes.

'Yeah, what's going on?' Brax asked coming to a stand.

'Are you Ruby?' The doctor then addressed Ruby who came and stood next to Brax

'Yeah, Charlie is my mum… is she ok?'

The doctor took a breath 'She had been shot, the bullet missed her heart but the bleeding was extensive and for a while it was uncontrollable' he began.

Ruby let out a whimper and she clutched Brax's arm

'But, we managed to stop the bleeding-'

Brax immediately grinned, they stopped the bleeding. Ruby clasped her hands together and smiled at Brax.

'Oh, that's fantastic' Ruby breathed

'Uhhm not exactly, I'm afraid that once we managed to control the bleeding- we gave Charlie a run of scans and she fell into a coma, with her injuries…there is only a 13% chance that she will wake-up' The doctor ended.

Brax sat back down, his body falling into the seat led Ruby to follow. He couldn't process what the doctor had said. Charlie was going to wake up, she was going to wake up and get married. They were going to have children and grandchildren, buy a house, wake-up next to each other. Weren't they.

'I don't, I don't understand' Brax muttered 'You said, that you stopped the bleeding'

The doctor sighed 'Charlie has lost a lot of blood, we managed to control the bleeding but her body has been pumped with drugs and her brain is very tender at the moment. It's all upto whether Charlie can wake-up on her own, there is nothing more we can do but wait'

Brax lowered his head, he scooped an arm around ruby and tried to comfort her as well.

Suddenly Heath spoke up 'Well at least there is a 13% chance she will wake up' he attempted to sound positive.

Brax tried to be like Heath and think positively but his brain kept jumping to the negatives

Only 87% chance of waking up

What if she never wakes up

What if she suddenly dies

What if something happens and her brain stops

What if, was all Brax could think of;

'You can see her now' the doctor murmered

Brax stood up, his body shook with pain and anticipation as he stepped forward. Brax walked down the corridor- following the doctor. He suddenly turned around as his body refused to take another step forward. 'Heath, I'm the same blood type as Georgia… I'll donate' he smiled grimly

Heath rose from his seat and smiled at his brother gratefully.

Brax looked back at the room at the end of the hallway, the room that Charlie was in. Something was stopping him from going. Brax craved to see her beautiful face but now was not the time and at the back of his head he knew that although all he craved was Charlie's touch- there was nothing he could do whereas he could help save his best friend by donating blood.

'Where are you going?' Ruby asked as she passed him in the corridor

'I am going to help my friend' he whispered as he walked into Georgia's hospital room.

.

Blood drained from Brax's body. He was sitting in Georgia's hospital room, a small tube was connected to a needle in Brax's arm, and they were slowly giving her some of his blood. Heath was perched on the armchair on the opposite side of the room. There was no talking, there was nothing to talk about, any word that either of them said felt unwelcome and awkward.

Brax continued to stare at the ground, he had been sitting in the room for over an hour and he hadn't seen Charlie yet, Ruby was still in there with her.

'Are you going to go see Charlie?' Heath asked slowly

Brax didn't reply, he moved his glance to watch the blood go out of his arm and through the tube.

Heath allowed the room to go quiet before attempting to pickup the conversation.

'I appreciate it… you know- giving the blood and I know that Georgia will' He gave Brax a small smile

Brax didn't reply, he knew that Georgia would appreciate him giving her the blood, she would probably make some bad joke about it like. _"Does this make us related? Because, I am an awesome sister"_

Brax just wanted Charlie to wake-up but he couldn't face her right now, he wanted to remember her smiling and laughing, talking to him, touching him. The moment he saw her silent body- reality would set in and Brax would have to face the idea that Charlie may never wake-up. One of the scariest parts of having a loved one die is not forgetting their face- _that_ always stays with you… but their voice, forgetting someone's voice is both painful and scary. Brax remembered Charlie's voice, it was confident and sexy yet beautiful and vulnerable at the same time. He knew that her voice would never leave his mind- it was like a soothing tune that calmed him down. Death can take that voice from you, as time passes it can get less familiar- Brax wasn't going to let it get less familiar.

'Amber is with mum, she is looking after her for the next two or so days while we figure everything out' Heath added, he had accepted that Brax was not going to reply so it was more just thinking aloud.

Suddenly a nurse came into the room.

'Hi, Darryl. We can get this drip out of you now- you have donated enough blood. We recommend that you stay put- maybe get something to eat and just take it easy' She babbled, her cold hands began to take the needle out of his arm.

'When will Georgia wake up?' Heath asked the nurse before she exited the room

'Uhhm, she will probably wake-up in a few minutes actually' she replied checking her watch before briskly exiting the hospital room.

Brax rubbed his arm where the needle had been.

'Are you going to go visit Charlie now?' Heath asked

Brax took a deep breath. He was too scared to see her, he knew that what he was doing was being afraid… but the truth would break Brax, he needed Charlie to be awake and although it was completely selfish there was something inside his body that crushed him past vulnerable to a state where he was terrified to live without Charlie.

Suddenly Brax heard Heath gasp.

'F*** I'm hungry' A voice muttered

Brax twisted his head and saw that Georgia was waking up; she was wiping her eyes slowly and groaning. Heath leant into her body and kissed her lips lightly.

Georgia twisted her head 'Hey Brax, how are you? How's Charlie?' She asked

Brax didn't reply, he kissed her forehead lightly before moving back into his seat.

'Do you want anything to eat?' Brax muttered

Georgia stared at Brax's sad eyes. 'What's wrong baby?' her voice was timid and afraid 'Where is Charlie?'

'Charlie is still…' Heath began to reply

'She is in a coma, 13% chance that she will wake up' Brax interrupted

For once in Georgia's life, she had no reply- no smart-arse comment or stupid fact to share. She didn't know what to say, she was speechless.

.

.

.

**Review please! I love hearing which bits you liked, I know that this chapter was a bit shorter but I didn't want to give too much away yet, keep reading!**

**I took a different approach to Brax's reaction, he is more scared and afraid about seeing Charlie in her coma than you may have expected. Xxx Thankyou for reading beautifuls!**


	3. Losing People

**Ciao my lovelies! An update has arrived. I know exactly where this chapter is going, don't doubt me! Ha-ha, please please update. Tell me about what bits you favored and just rant about whatever you like!**

**.**

The night had arrived and gone quickly. It was a new morning and Georgia was up and back to her usual perky self, Brax still hadn't left her room to visit Charlie.

Georgia scooped another spoon of jelly into her mouth; she eyed the brother's curiously- neither of them was speaking.

'Sooo, has anyone found out whether Charlie is improving?' she asked

Brax looked at the floor and stared intently at the stack of magazines next to his chair.

Neither of them replied to her.

Georgia flicked off the lid of her **second **fruit and jelly cup; she stabbed the spoon in and tried to force the two brothers to induce into at least minor conversation. What do guys like to talk about?

'Heath-baby, the TV remote is on the table behind you. You guys can watch some cricket or soccer or rugby….' She persuaded

Heath shrugged 'Nah, not in the mood'

'Well, I am!' Georgia lied, forcing an excited smile over her face,

Heath smirked 'You, like rugby union?'

'As a matter of fact I do' she grinned, bluffing to introduce a conversation

'Ok, how many people on the field at the same time?' Heath asked- he was determined to catch her out in a lie

'Uhhm twenty-three no no, Uhhm… thirteen- no twenty one?' She guessed

'30 and a referee' Brax spoke quietly from his seat

'Same thing' Georgia flapped her hand in dismissal.

Heath went back to staring at the ground; he left the conversation before it had even started. Georgia sighed, trying to have a conversation was beginning to be harder than pulling teeth out.

'So…want some jelly?' She pointed the spoon at Heath

'Nah.' he responded quietly

'.. Brax… you want some?' Georgia murmered, her voice snaked into a cheeky tone

'No'

Georgia sighed 'Ok, _I _am the one that got shot here! You are both acting like sad cats! Brax, honey… go visit Charlie. She needs you and you need her. Heath, start smiling or I'll stab you with my morphine stick' Georgia complained, she poked her tongue out at Heath mock angrily.

Brax looked at Georgia 'I could have jumped in front of the gun' he said emotionlessly 'Stopped her from getting shot' he dropped his gaze to the ground.

Georgia pouted lightly before shaking her head vigorously. She placed the jelly back on her tray and turned to face Brax. 'Babe, its like that quote Uhhm.. _If I have time to jump in front of a gun- you have time to jump out of the way' _she recited

Brax looked at her confused- was Georgia using a joke?

'No- I mean, what I mean Is. It's not your fault, Jake pulled the gun out completely by surprise- no one, not even Charlie was expecting it'

Brax nodded but couldn't wipe the frown off his face.

Heath stood up suddenly 'I'm going to sign your release forms, pack your stuff and we will leave after that' he left the room

'Brax, will you help me pack my things…. my shoulder is still kind of sore' She asked slowly

Brax nodded and began to fold up Georgia's clothes in silence. He couldn't help looking out at the hallway, he could see Charlie's hospital room a few metres away.

'I understand why you don't want to see her yet' Georgia said slowly

'Pass me the hairbrush' Brax pointed

'When my uncle Frazer' was in a coma- I didn't want to visit him either' Georgia passed Brax the hairbrush before sitting up on the bed and shuffling her legs around so that she was facing Brax directly.

'It's ok to be scared…. I'm scared as well but don't you think… that maybe Charlie is as well?' Brax flinched at the sound of her name

'I read online that coma patients like hearing voices of loved ones even feeling their touch'

Brax zipped her bag up harshly before racing out of the hospital room.

He stopped once he was outside Georgia's room, Brax pressed his body against the wall and let himself sink to the floor. He covered his face with his hands and tried to bring himself to visit Charlie. It was selfish, f***ing selfish of him not to visit her. Brax knew that. He wanted to see her and touch her but the truth was that Brax couldn't handle it. He didn't want to show any emotion- he wanted to appear tough and unaffected but the second he walked into her room, Brax knew that his mask would crumble and he would have to face the fact that… he was dying as well, the more he thought about having to lose Charlie- the more he felt himself rip inside.

Brax suddenly felt footsteps stop in front of him. He peeled his hands away from his face and looked up.

'You ok?' It was Heath. He peered down at Brax while balancing a stack of forms in his arms.

Brax didn't reply. He jumped to his feet and stuffed his hands in his pockets and began to walk towards the exit of the hospital.

'What about Charlie?' Brax heard a voice call out over his shoulder. What about Charlie? She was in a coma and Brax was already losing hope.

He immediately walked towards the car. Brax cringed as his eyes found the bloodstained seats in his view. He stifled back angry cries and quickly got into the front seat of the car. Brax allowed himself to sit in the quiet atmosphere of the car; he spread his body back onto the seat and tried to shut his eyes- block out the pain.

"_Charlie's body dropping to the ground, blood spilling out of her wound and her skin going pale'_

Brax's eyes sprung open. His breathing quickened as his mind flashed back to the events from the previous night. He needed to get away from all the pain.

Just as he started up the car, Brax felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He quickly pulled it out and saw that he had 3 messages.

**HEY, COME BACK BRAX… CHARLIE NEEDS YOU XX –Georgia**

**MATE GIVE US A CALL- G AND I DUNNO WHERE YOU ARE –Heath **

Brax paused before opening the final message, he felt his eyes strain with sadness as he noticed it was from Charlie. The time stated that it was sent at around 9:30- before the wedding. Brax raised a finger slowly; he balanced it on top of the "Read Message" button but couldn't bring himself to click down on it. His body craved to know what she sent but something was stopping him from reading. Screw the pain, Brax needed to read what she had sent.

"_Hey there baby, I'm just getting ready now. The girls say that I shouldn't be texting you but I don't care; Its probably stupid but I already miss you- its only been a few hours, though I can't stop thinking about you- us- our wedding. I hope that you are getting ready now! Georgia still hasn't turned up. I'm worried about her but guiltily I can admit that I am more worried about you turning up on time! I'm kind of nervous- not about marrying you… but about the whole day. Our lives will never be the same again, in a good way. I love you more than anything and I am more excited than anything to be called your wife._

_XOXO_

Brax threw his phone onto the back seat. His mouth wavered with emotions that he couldn't control. Brax quickly started up the car and drove out of the car park in a rush. The sound of skid-marks on the road raised his adrenalin. Brax raced around corners, ignoring the blaring horns and traffic lights. He needed this distraction, the ability to control what happens to himself;

.

Brax pulled up on the beach. His eyes wandered to their wedding had been held. Cheryl and a few of the other guests had volunteered to help clean up the abandoned venue, the beautiful white and purple atmosphere had turned back to the natural green and sandy environment as if the day before had been forgotten.

Brax got out of the car and walked along the grass, the cold wind whipped across his body giving Brax goose bumps that prickled across his arms. His feet stopped suddenly as a small piece of paper landed in front of him after drifting through the air- carried by the heavy wind. Brax bent down onto the moist grass, he carefully picked up the paper and smiled as he saw the picture of Charlie and himself. It was one of their "Thankyou for attending our wedding" notes. It must have blown away during the ceremony. Brax held the note in his hands firmly; he stuffed it in the breast pocket of his shirt before coming to a stand. Brax suddenly felt a strong sense of guilt. He should be with Charlie, he loved her but Brax was still struggling with coming to terms with the fact that Charlie may never wake-up. Brax thought that he was better off remembering the good things about her, her beautiful face, her laugh that always made Brax melt- wasn't that better than seeing and remembering a silent body that couldn't move or talk?

Charlie _was_ Brax's life and he couldn't imagine being without her, having to commit to a life without the one woman he had ever loved was not an option.

.

'You ready?' Heath asked Georgia back at the hospital, he balanced her large overnight bag on his shoulder and smiled at her

Georgia slowly walked over to Heath, her hand still delicately holding her wound.

'Yeah… I might just go see if Ruby is ok first. I feel horrible that we haven't visited Charlie yet' she responded

Heath nodded 'Kay, I'll go whack your bag in the car'

Georgia nodded and walked slowly towards Charlie's door. The blinds were firmly closed; they ignored the light that could be streaming inside. Georgia slowly twisted the door handle and she edged her body into the dark room. Ruby was currently sitting in an armchair; her hands were entwined with Charlie's. There was only a small stream of light caused by the open door. Georgia felt her body freeze as she saw Charlie's silent body, she took a step closer to Ruby and flicked her glance to the floor.

'Close the door' Ruby's quiet, emotionless voice broke the silence

'Of course' Georgia nodded, she gave the door a flick and it rocked back shut.

Georgia sat behind Ruby, she placed a hand on her shoulder and Ruby leant into her touch for a quick moment before straightening back up.

'How is your shoulder?' Ruby asked after the silence had been stretched out

'I'm ok' She replied in a timid voice 'How… how are you? It's been almost a day since I've heard from you'

Ruby didn't respond, she pulled her body closer to Charlie.

Georgia sighed, she didn't know how to deal with these sorts of situations but Ruby shouldn't be by herself.

'I'm just waiting' Ruby suddenly spoke up 'Waiting, waiting…waiting' her small voice faded out.

'I'm sorry that I didn't come check on you guys earlier' Georgia apologized

Ruby didn't move her glance 'It's fine' her voice was cold 'Charlie is going to be fine'

Georgia swallowed thickly; She tried to reassure herself.

'I know… but how are you?'

Ruby's body stiffened. She hadn't been expecting that question.

Georgia stood up from her chair and slowly took a step closer to Ruby. Her eyes peered at Ruby's face that had been earlier hidden by her ignoring and scared looks. 'I just…' Her voice wavered with emotion 'Want my mum to wake-up' Ruby stifled back tears, she tried to remain strong.

'Oh darling' Georgia whispered to herself, how could they have left such an innocent girl on her own for an entire day? Georgia had both Heath and Brax sitting with her- doing nothing and Ruby had needed someone the whole time.

'Stand-up' Georgia suddenly instructed

Ruby's sad face looked up 'Why?' Her voice was shaky and her eyes were red and glazed with tears

'Because beautiful, I am going to hold you' Georgia said lightly, she tried to smile.

Ruby remained still for a moment

'Let someone take care of _you'_

Ruby nodded and shifted her body. Georgia immediately sat down in the armchair; she reached her arms out and pulled Ruby's body onto her lap. Ruby held herself stiffly- she wasn't sure how to react to Georgia's sudden comforting act. After a moment, she collapsed into Georgia's grip. She snuggled her head into the curve of Georgia's neck and let her emotions free. Deep cries erupted from Ruby; tears ran down her cheeks and onto Georgia's shoulder.

'It's ok, it's going to be ok' Georgia's whispered voice soothed Ruby's cries.

.

Brax made it home. He immediately walked to the fridge and grabbed bottles of beer; Brax set them out on the table and began to drink away his thoughts. The alcohol made everything seem less real, Brax allowed bottles of thick liquid to tip down his throat, beer after beer. After an hour Brax realized that he had run out of alcohol. Slowly reality would come back, etching away at his lying exterior.

Brax sat at the kitchen table; he stared into space and just thought about how he had allowed everything to happen. Charlie. He couldn't stop his mind flicking back to her. Brax rested his head on the table and shut his eyes;

Suddenly the front door clicked open and it slowly edged wider.

'Charlie?' Brax immediately allowed his mind to think, the sound of the opening door woke Brax from his daze. It was Heath.

Heath walked into the living room and immediately to notice to the pile of empty bottles on the table that surrounded his obviously drunk brother 'Hey Brax, its not time for booze yet' Heath muttered while checking the time on his watch.

Brax shrugged and began flicking his fingers on the empty bottles mindlessly. Heath rolled his eyes subtly and took a step closer to Brax. 'Mate… maybe you should visit Charlie' He suggested Heath darted his eyes to the ground, to dodge any immediate reaction.

'Why?'

Heath's eyes widened, he hadn't expected Brax's answer to be so small.

He cleared his throat 'Uhhm, maybe because you love her'

Brax glared his eyes at Heath 'Yeah, I do. I love her. I. Love. Her' Brax stamped a bottle onto the table. The loud bang made Heath jump slightly with fright.

'For god sake then. Get off your arse, stop drinking and go show Charlie that you actually do love her; because if I were Charlie, I would think that you didn't even care- you haven't even been and visited her yet?" Heath's voice rose with frustration

Brax stood up suddenly, the chair clattered backwards. How could Heath say that about him?

'Shut-up!' Brax spat, his voice growled with increasing anger

'Nup, You are being a ****ing wimp!' Heath retaliated, he moved closer to Brax instigating that he wasn't afraid.

Brax was not a wimp. He was just scared. The alcohol must have begun to take its toll as before Heath could realize, Brax had swung a punch in his direction. Brax's fist connected with Heath's nose. Heath took a step backwards to balance himself; his hand immediately wiped the sticky blood from his nose. Heath quickly straightened himself and he lunged onto Brax, the two of them threw punches back and forth, their fists grinding against each other's limbs. Groans of hidden pain echoed the room. Chairs flung backwards as the fight crashed through the room. Neither of them knew why they were fighting; it was just a way to release a burst of anger and confused emotions.

Suddenly a voice ripped through the atmosphere.

'That is enough!' Georgia screamed, her voice was angry but as Brax and Heath pulled themselves away from each other they could see that her eyes were full of disappointment.

'God, you are both acting so immature.' She breathed, taking a step into the room.

Brax stood up and began to sit the chairs back around the table. Heath dodged his wife's eye contact and he took a seat on the couch- looking away from both Georgia and Brax.

'Guys, we are falling apart. This is a time in life where you need to stick together with the people you love and help each other get through- you can't push people away, we all need love and support' Georgia's voice quieted and she began to help Brax clean the room up.

'You're acting like she is already dead, you may have given up Georgia- but I haven't. I'm not. You may find it easy to replace friends, I mean since you ran off all those years ago- making friends must have been as simple as ****ing blinking. You know what? You are like a friend-slut, you just play with people and move-on to someone else when you get bored' Brax snarled, his voice woven with anger and influenced by alcohol. He would never usually say something so degrading to anyone- let alone his best friend.

Georgia looked taken aback by the bluntness and cruelty of the statement. She stood up and dumped a smashed photo frame on the table

'Well you may have just lost me as well' she muttered before walking out the front door, stifling back tears.

After a moment, Heath walked out as well without even grunting a word.

Brax was left standing in the living room of his house all by himself. He had felt like he was alone before…. But now he actually was.

Brax sat on the couch and closed his eyes; he dropped his head and frowned. Life was falling to pieces.

.

.

**I know, I know… It wasn't the happiest chapter but please review. There were a lot of emotions running and I am curious to see how they worked! I found that I liked a few characters a bit more during this chapter! Keep reading and reviewing beautifuls!**

**Xxxx**

**I'll try and update soon but my workload has been hectic lately**


	4. Don't be like Randall

**Ok, review please! I have updated so quick this time, wow ha-ha**

**I am probably going to be busy for a while but I just wanted to get this chapter out (I had been planning it from the start) I have found that even with Charlie still in her coma, relationships are breaking and making around her. I'm not saying whether or not she will wake-up but keep reading to find out!**

**I used to do spoilers for each chapter in my last ff- I may begin to do that again but for now, hold on and please review after each chapter, I love love love hearing what you like. **

**.**

Life was falling to pieces with Brax; he was spinning out of control.

Georgia and Heath had just left his house after the fight, leaving Brax all alone.

.

Heath walked back into his and Georgia's house. He had made his own way home- knowing that Georgia was not in the mood to give him a ride home after what they had experienced at Brax's. He leant on the doorframe and looked into their bedroom where she was busily packing a bag of clothes. Heath could see her hands frantically throwing items into a rucksack on the bed.

'Georgie…. What are you doing?' He asked, Heath's voice was nervous and he tried to laugh subtly to induce a lightness into the conversation

'I'm packing a bag' She snapped, not turning around and harshly zipping the bag closed

'Are you moving…out?' Heath laughed

Georgia quickly spun on her feet to face Heath 'No, not yet. I am packing a bag because I am staying at the hospital tonight- Ruby refuses to leave and I don't want her to be by herself tonight' Georgia stated still holding her rucksack in her hand.

'You're not her mum, you don't have to. Stay home' Heath pleaded; only after he said it did he realize the rude irony of the statement.

'I know I am not her mum. _Her_ mum is in a coma! Her family is us! So, I am going to go stay with her because unlike you and Brax, _I_ actually do care about other people' Georgia exploded, her eyes burnt with sadness and anger.

'Georgie, if this is about what happened earlier at Brax's-' Heath begun

Georgia quickly interrupted him 'Your brother called me a variety of insulting things such as a _friend-slut_. Yeah, It hurt me but right now I'm not worried about stupid fights with my ****ing stupid friends because' She took a breath and combed her hands through her hair frustratedly 'Because, there is an 18 year old girl in the hospital, by herself. Her mum is in a coma and she has ab-sol-utly no one in there for her' Georgia continued

Heath guiltily looked at the floor as Georgia stormed past him. 'I can come, if you want?' his voice was apologetic and weak

'We have a daughter as well remember? So unless you want to leave another girl alone- I advise you stay' she snapped sarcastically before slamming the front door behind her.

Heath sighed as the slamming door echoed into the room. His life was also falling to pieces.

.

Brax had tried to clean up the house; he wiped away any memories of the fight. The alcoholic views had begun to seep away and Brax was beginning to realize what he had done. Everything was messing up. He had punched his brother, basically called his best friend a bitch and he hadn't even visited the woman he loved in hospital. It suddenly hit him that these moments where not fate or luck they were all decisions- conscious decisions that Brax had stuffed up. It's like when you were a young kid and you stole your younger siblings money and get upset with the ramifications- you can't! It's your fault, you earned the consequences. Brax knew that he was the cause of the situation- he couldn't have stopped Charlie from getting shot but he could have stopped his friendships from falling apart and he definitely could have visited her. The guilt was overwhelming, it was smuggling Brax into an emotional cave. He was at the crossroad where visiting her could cause as much pain as not visiting at all. It was basically a choice of morals and love.

Brax decided that he should visit Charlie. He knew that he needed to get over himself and finally go see the woman he loved.

He quickly had a shower- showing up to a hospital smelling like blood and dry beer was not a good impression you want to make. Brax let the water wash away the blood- the rush of cold water exposed a new light; he was ready to fix things with everyone. Brax stepped out of the shower and pulled on a fresh outfit. He looked at himself in the mirror- the pained expression that shone back almost scared him out of visiting Charlie but he was emotionally ready now, nothing was going to stop him.

Brax got in the seat of his car; there was a faint stain of blood on the back seat, either Georgia or Charlie's. Brax shook his head quickly before focusing on the road. The drive to the hospital felt like eternity, every time he had to stop for the traffic, Brax's mind wandered over to the fear that continued to creep out and attempt to scare him into staying home.

Not this time, he had already f***ed things up enough, it was time to be the man that Charlie needed.

Brax parked his car in the crowded car park of the hospital and got out of the car.

'Excuse me?' A voice suddenly murmered

Brax twisted around to face the direction of the voice. A young woman was standing behind him, Brax looked at her cluelessly and he shoved his hands in the front pockets of his jeans. 'Sorry, but… do I know you?' Brax asked flashing her a smile

The woman's thin body shook lightly as she laughed 'No, no. I am just wondering if you could help me, I finally get to leave the hospital today but I can't seem to get my car started.' She blushed sheepishly.

Brax quickly glanced at the hospitals entrance, he was craving to see Charlie after all this time but it wouldn't be right to leave this woman.

Brax sighed and plastered a smile on his face. 'Sure'

The woman smiled 'Oh, Thankyou. I feel so embarrassed to ask a random guy to help me but I need to get home' she explained

'Well, I'm Brax' he stuck out a hand that she shook gently 'So I guess I'm not some random any more' He responded, Brax turned to face the ladies car. He opened the door and slipped into the front seat.

'I'm Kleo' the girl added, she put her hands on the roof of her car and poked her head inside.

Brax twisted the set of keys and was responded by a low growling noise that roared out of the engine. He then began to think about Kleo, why did she have to make her own way home after being in hospital? Aren't you supposed to have friends and family to support you during recovery?

'I hope you don't mind me asking Kleo but, why are you by yourself? Don't you have some hot boyfriend to drive you home?' Brax asked- the curiosity was getting the better of him.

Kleo frowned and dropped her hands from the roof. 'I did' she muttered

Brax didn't know what to say. He played around with the dials of the car and dodged her eye contact.

'I was in hospital for anorexia bulimia, it kind of caused my stomach to devolve and I had to have a surgery to fix it' Kleo added, she sat in the passenger seat next to Brax. 'My boyfriend Randall, didn't visit me once while I was in hospital. I was lieing in a hospital bed for over 5 months and not once did he come see me. The damn bastard- He forgot about me.' She added

Brax frowned, what kind of guy would do that?

'Its probably a good thing' Brax smiled

Kleo looked at her curiously

'I mean, seriously. His name was _Randall.'_ Brax laughed

Kleo joined in before coming to a stop 'But guys should visit their girlfriends. I mean, the boys say that they are scared but seriously grow-up and show the girls that they love them' she added.

Brax suddenly felt an overwhelming feeling of guilt. It was as if Kleo was talking directly to him about Charlie, but even if she wasn't, the guilt that he was feeling made him feel as if she was.

Brax twisted the keys one last time and he smiled as the car made a purring noise and the engine started up.

Kleo smiled 'Thankyou' she grinned

'You are welcome; But, Kleo- don't call Randall- he sounds like a prick' Brax winked before stepping out of the car.

Brax gave a casual salute goodbye to Kleo and he walked towards the entrance to the hospital. After having that conversation with her- it made Brax be completely certain that visiting Charlie was the best thing. He didn't want to end up like _Randall _and have Charlie breaking up with him because he couldn't get over himself and realize what the right thing to do was.

Brax walked into the hospital confidently, he was finally making the right decisions.

He walked upto the nurse's station and tapped his fingers on the bench top boldly. 'Am I able to visit Charlie Buckton?' he asked

The nurse looked up at him with a smile. 'Ofcoure, she has had the same two girls in with her for almost the whole day'

Brax nodded in thanks before walking down the hallway slowly. He reached her door. Brax couldn't see inside as all the blinds were drawn shut, he placed a hand on the door and stood in front of it for a moment, he had to contain himself, Brax had never let himself fully cry- he felt the need to be brave and strong even if his insides were crumbing beneath the emotional weight- he couldn't let go, he couldn't show his true emotions.

Brax slowly opened the door; he pulled his body inside and immediately froze. The room was dark but in the small glaze of light he could see Charlie's body lieing on the bed and Ruby was resting her head on Charlie's body, her eyes were shut and Brax let his breath out. He suddenly saw Georgia; she was sitting on a large couch with her legs spread out. Her eyes flicked up as she saw Brax's shadow.

'What are you doing here?' Georgia asked slowly

Brax took a step forward 'I need to see her' he breathed pointing to Charlie

Georgia didn't say anything; she stood up off the couch. 'I'm going to grab a coffee' she muttered, shoving past Brax and out of the room. Brax sighed and slowly moved to Charlie- he reached out a hand and softly grazed her smooth arm. He held his breath tightly and leant down closer. Brax kissed her cheek lightly, her skin was warm and Brax tried to feel the life inside her body. He had missed her more than anything everything.

'Oh beautiful…' he whispered stroking her cheek.

Suddenly Brax took a step back. Ruby had woken up; she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes fiercely and glared at Brax.

'What are you doing here?" she asked icily. Ruby grabbed Charlie's hand and clung on to it.

Brax swallowed thickly. 'I'm here, to see-' he began to speak quietly

'Too see Charlie! Did you know that she had been in hospital for two days now, 48 hours- no, two thousand-eight hundred and eighty minutes. You could have visited in 2880 minutes but you couldn't get over yourself and actually see her' Ruby cried, her eyes were stung with tears and she swung her hands around frantically

Brax took a step backwards. He knew that he should have visited Charlie and he was more sorry than anything.

'I know, Ruby and I am so sorry' Brax apologized, he reached out a hand to touch Charlie's arm but Ruby slapped him away

'No, don't you touch her! You don't get too decide when the time is right for you to visit her. I'm glad that your wedding was cut short because now we can all see just how weak you are. You didn't even see if she was ok, you left her alone.' Ruby shrieked, she was getting caught up in her anger

Brax shook his head 'No. Ruby. I'm not weak- I want to see her, I love Charlie' he protested, Brax could feel his outer shell cracking; pieces of his strength were falling away.

Ruby stared into Brax's eyes 'Well I hate you and I know that Charlie will as well' she whispered

Brax felt his body freeze. He couldn't handle leaving Charlie now, he needed to stay and hold her in his arms and apologize for everything until his voice hurt- until she woke up and promised him that she would stay.

Ruby remained standing 'Get out' she whispered

Brax remained in the room, he was trembling inside but he didn't want to leave Charlie's side.

'Get out of my mums hospital room, you are **nothing** to her anymore' Ruby said a bit louder.

Brax left, his eyes were glossed with tears and his heart felt like it was breaking- he couldn't breathe. Brax slammed the hospital door shut behind him and he madly ran down the hallway. He needed to escape. Brax found an empty hospital room; he hid inside and banged the door shut. Emotions filled his body up and he paced the room. Brax couldn't believe what had just happened, was Ruby right? Would Charlie wake-up and hate him? Two days had passed and not once had he visited her. Maybe Brax didn't deserve Charlie. He slid his body down the wall and into the corner. He loved her so much, Brax couldn't imagine living without her. Before he knew what was happening, Brax felt tears slide down his cheeks, he could feel sadness erupting in his body and he knew that the brave cover was broken. Brax shut his eyes and allowed the tears to fall down his face. He breathed deeply but couldn't control the pain inside. Brax began to cry louder, deep and heaving sobs escaped his mouth. He hit his fists into the wall angrily and felt blood smear his knuckles.

.

Georgia walked back from the hospital cafeteria; the coffee was shit but then again hospitals were supposed to specialize in medicine not barista services.

She began to walk up the hallway when she heard crying coming from a nearby room. Georgia paused at the door before slowly pushing it open. She gasped as her eyes saw that Brax was leaning in the corner, crying his eyes out. He was holding his arms loosely and his entire body looked lonely and vulnerable.

Although she was still incredibly angry at him- you can't ditch a lifelong friendship especially in a situation like this.

Georgia shut the door quietly and slowly walked into Brax's view.

'Hey there' she whispered, Georgia slid down the wall next to Brax; she grabbed his hand in hers and clung onto it.

Brax began to stop the heaving cries of pain but he couldn't stop the heavy breathing and stream of saddened tears. He leant his head on her shoulder and shut his eyes.

'I love you sweetie and you aren't alone in this' Georgia whispered in a promising voice, she raised a hand and stroked his cheek lightly. Brax didn't reply but she knew that he had heard her. Right now, he would be feeling sad, angry, alone and vulnerable. All Brax needed was someone and he had almost lost everyone.

Eventually Brax stopped crying, he remained leaning on Georgia's shoulder

'I'm sorry for calling you a friend-whore' he apologized, not moving his head away

'I think that I can recall that it was a friend-_slut_' Georgia corrected

'Yeah, well I'm sorry all the same' Brax murmered

'It's cool, I will blame the alcohol- just this once.' She smiled

Brax let out a sigh of relief; he had fixed one relationship;

Georgia let the silence sit for a while. 'Baby, Charlie is going to wake-up' she said after a while

'Yeah' Brax said half-heartedly

'…Do you want to see Charlie once more?' Georgia asked

'Yeah- but Ruby banished me from the room' Brax muttered, he raised his head from her shoulder

'Ruby is down at the cafeteria getting some dinner- she sent me a text saying that I was supposed to keep you out of Charlie's room' Georgia explained

Brax frowned; he knew that things wouldn't be forgotten as easily with Ruby.

'…But, I won't tell if you don't' she smiled slyly before standing up and reaching out a hand to help Brax to his feet.

The two of them walked towards Charlie's room, they spent the time in silence.

'Thanks G, you are a great friend' Brax smiled before entering the room

'The bestest!' she giggled proudly 'But seriously. It's cool- just don't be too long, I don't want Ruby to get upset and see you inside' Georgia instructed

Brax nodded before walking into the room.

.

Charlie's body was the same as before, untouched and silent. Brax made his way over to the bed; he slipped his hands around her waist and lied carefully around her fragile body.

'I'm so sorry' he whispered into her ear

'I'm so sorry about everything. I love you so much and I need you to wake-up' Brax pressed a light kiss onto her lips; he stroked her hair and tried to pretend that she was awake and kissing his back.

Brax knew that in a few minutes he would have to leave the room but for now, it was okay to be with his girl. Although technically they weren't married- Brax knew that in both his and Charlie's hearts they'd been bound together from the start, nothing was going to take her away from him.

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**Wow, please review! I want to know what you think, even if you don't normally review just send me a few thoughts- it's literally what keeps me writing! I hoped you enjoyed this chapter & that it didn't feel rushed or fake xxx**


	5. I need your love to survive

**AN: UPDATE IS HERE!**

****- I got a couple of pm's about my 'spelling' and stuff, i'm so sorry about that if it affected you- I do edit it but i'm more focused on the story than that sort of thing, i promise that i will try to improve as i go! haha please keep reading xx****

**This is a short-ish chapter but please be aware that the coming up chapters are going to be uh... heavy in emotions so be ready!**

**Please read & review my darling's xx**

**.**

_**4 more days had passed;**_

Heath looked up from the magazine that he was flicking through. Ruby continued to sit next to Charlie; her eyes remained unemotive and staring at the wall. Georgia was sitting on the other couch with Heath- her legs were swung over Heath's lap and she was eating mouthfuls of hospital jelly.

Heath, Ruby and Georgia were all sitting in Charlie's hospital room, over the last few days they had grown used to sitting with her and being with her. They talked about normal things, regular everyday things- Georgia thought that if Charlie heard her friends talking, she might be more likely to wake-up.

But Brax; Ruby still wouldn't let Brax into the room- she wouldn't talk to him or to anyone about him.

'You know what?' Georgia said, her face suddenly perking up

'Hmm…' Heath murmered, he didn't move his face up from the magazine

Georgia kicked his legs lightly with the tips of her feet 'Oy! Listen' she hassled

Heath broke his gaze from the magazine and plastered a smile on his face 'Yes, Georgia?' he looked at her

'I was going to say that I think I should die my hair back to its ombre' she babbled, Georgia rubbed her hands through her hair, which was now a cute, cropped indie length

'I mean, before my cancer I had awesome hair right?' She asked

'Sure' Heath mumbled, his eyes had drifted back to the article that he was reading before 'Heath? Are you listening?' Georgia asked frustratedly, Heath still didn't respond

'What are you reading that is so much more important than your beautiful wife?' She laughed, Georgia leant forward and stuck her head on Heath's shoulder.

'Best cars of the decade' Georgia read the title off the page.

She leant back into the chair with a thud 'Ugh. Why do guys always pick cars over their girls' she said in a mock growling voice.

Heath chuckled to himself before placing a quick kiss on her cheek.

Georgia moved her glance to Ruby and she swiveled her legs off Heath's lap.

'How are you doing sweetie?' she asked Ruby slowly

Ruby didn't answer

Georgia raised her body from her chair and stood next to Ruby 'Maybe, Uhhm… Brax can come visit?' she suggested in a slow voice, Georgia cringed as she knew what Ruby's answer would be

'Maybe not' Ruby snarled back.

Georgia sighed, Brax hadn't been able to see Charlie in 4 days and it was beginning to irritate her as well as him.

Georgia grabbed her mobile out of her pocket and dialed Brax's number, she slipped her body to the back of the room and allowed the phone to echo into her ear.

'Georgie hi. Is everything ok?' Brax answered

'Yeah, I guess'

'How is Charlie?'

Georgia peered at Charlie's comatose body 'I don't really get what people mean when they ask that' she lowered her voice so that Ruby wouldn't overhear her 'I mean, she is in a coma- she can't exactly tell us if she is ok'

Brax rolled his eyes 'Point taken. So, has Ruby lowered her guard about me visiting?'

Georgia groaned lightly 'Nope, she is very adamant about keeping you away- I'm still trying though, I will get you in here eventually- trust me. I can be very annoying.' She explained

'Trust me. I know' Brax laughed

'Oy!' Georgia giggled

'I'll see you later Georgie girl, keep me in the loop'

'Yep, bye baby' Georgia hung up her mobile

Heath suddenly looked up from the magazine 'Does anyone else find it weird that you call my brother _baby_ more than me?'

Georgia rolled her eyes and sat back on the couch seat 'Nup' She grabbed the magazine off Heath's lap and flicked through the pages herself

.

Brax hung up the phone. He hadn't seen Charlie in four days, his friends were all staying with her and he was basically alone. Brax had decided to go back to word until he was allowed to see Charlie- there was no point trying to sneak inside the hospital, it would just make Ruby angrier with him.

'Brax, can I pick up my pizza' Leah's voice interrupted his thoughts.

'Yeah, uh sure' He muttered

He clambered through a pile of pizzas to find the one with Leah's name scrawled across it.

'Look Brax, I know that Charlie and I haven't really spoken since she admitted your relationship to me…. But I just want you to know that I really miss her and I hope that she wakes up'

Brax grunted a response and he punched in a few numbers to the cash register to add up the cost of Leah's order.

'…How is she?' Leah asked

Brax didn't know how to answer- He hadn't been able to see her 'Yeah, She is still in a coma' he muttered

Leah placed her bag on the counter obviously inferring a conversation; Brax didn't want to talk with Leah, or anyone for that matter. He wanted to be with Charlie, he wanted to talk to her, hold her and laugh with her but that was obviously not going to happen either.

'Why aren't you with her? I'm sure Heath or Liam or someone would be ok to mind the restaurant for you' Leah asked curiously, Brax lowered his gaze to the floor and shoved Leah's pizza's in her direction.

'One margarita pizza and a Mexican supreme, right?' Brax ignored Leah's question because the truth was, people _had_ offered to take over the restaurant until Charlie's situation had been resolved but since Brax wasn't allowed inside the room, he was trying to make himself busy to stop himself thinking about her- it wasn't working though. Everything seemed to remind him of her, even the goddamn pizza! The early morning pizza splurge that he had had with Georgia and Charlie on there wedding day. It was just truth that you can't escape the one you love, even if they aren't with you, everything you do gives painful memories of them, Brax could handle the pain but he couldn't handle the scared.

Leah passed Brax a handful of money quickly 'Yeah, its 30.50?'

'Mmm..' Brax nodded, he reached for the money from Leah's outstretched hand.

As Brax took the money off her, Leah reached her hand up further and stroked Brax's arm. 'I'm here for you' she smiled

Brax ripped his arm from her grip 'Yeah?' He snapped sarcastically 'You have let Charlie down in the past, given up your friendship with her- now that this has happened you feel guilty and I honestly don't give a damn'

Leah looked taken aback 'No, Brax- I just' She tried to explain

'Just leave Leah, I don't need your sympathy and neither does Charlie' Brax shook his head to the ground and slammed the cash register shut. Leah grabbed the pizzas in her hands 'I only care about Charlie- choosing you in the worst decision she could have ever made' she muttered before leaving Angelos in a storm. Brax leant on the wall and grabbed his mobile from his pocket.

**Keep trying Georgie; I need to see her X BRAX**

Brax wasn't going to let anything stop him from visiting Charlie- he loved her and Leah was wrong, Brax wasn't a bad decision on Charlie's behalf- if anything Brax shouldn't have allowed himself to get in so deep with a cop, the first time he ever saw her Brax knew that their relationship would have to be a secret, a dirty scandal that would be dangerous for them both. It was like a tightrope, each step was deadly and you could fall at anytime but the adrenalin and excitement kept you going. They had gotten so far, a mutual love and trust that had been torn away the second that Jake had pulled the trigger.

.

Suddenly there was a knock at Charlie's hospital door. Ruby shot an angry look at Georgia 'Did you tell Brax that he could come?' she asked

Georgia sighed 'No, I didn't' she stood up and pulled the door open

'Detective Callahan, Hi' Sid Walker was standing in the doorway clutching Charlie's test results

'Ah please call me Georgia, this is tragic circumstances but I'm here on a personal matter not business' she smiled sitting back down next to Heath

Sid nodded 'Ok then' he took a step forward and rested his hands on the bed frame

'Everything ok doc?' Heath asked

Sid took a deep breath 'Uhhm well, as you know Charlie has been in a coma for around a week now and I think that it's time to discuss the possible outcomes and choices that need to be made' he told them

Ruby clutched Charlie's hand to her chest 'No decisions need to be made other than that Charlie is going to wake up' Ruby said in a voice that sounded unsure as if she was still attempting to convince herself

'I understand that this is what you want to happen Ruby but Charlie's chance of waking up is decreasing every day- I'm afraid that you may have lost hope- Charlie may never wake-up' Sid added with a frown

Ruby gasped 'How could you say that- How could you lose hope?' she snapped

'Oy Ruby shush, let Sid explain' Heath interrupted with a slight sound of frustration, he felt sorry for Ruby's situation but he was beginning to get irritated over how she was speaking to both Georgia and Brax- Charlie was important to all of them but she didn't seem to realize that

Ruby shot a glance to Heath before dropping her gaze to the floor

'What are her chances of waking?' Georgia asked Sid

'I'm afraid the 13% has now dropped to around 9-8' Sid responded quietly

Ruby stifled a whimper 'What are you saying?' she asked

'I'm saying that Charlie waking up would be considered a miracle'

Heath slipped an arm around Georgia's shoulders and he kissed her forehead

Sid slipped out of the room silently and left the three of them to process the news.

Ruby sniffed back tears and let go of Charlie's hands.

'Ruby…. Sweetie' Georgia began

Ruby turned around 'What?' she asked

'This is horrible news but-' Georgia paused, she was unsure of how to continue

Heath noticed her uncertainty and he decided to continue for her 'I think what Georgia means is that we think it may be time you let Brax come visit' Heath said slowly

'No, he proved that he didn't care- He doesn't deserve her' Ruby snapped back

Georgia rolled her eyes frustratedly

'But, Brax has been trying to show you he does love Charlie- all your ignoring is just making him weaker' Heath replied softly

Ruby stood from her chair 'Stop it. You can't forgive him' She exclaimed

Suddenly Georgia whom had been sweet and quiet throughout the ordeal rose up as well 'Shut-up Ruby, for god sake. You aren't the only one who loves Charlie- I understand that she is your mother and it does, it _really_ does break my heart when I think of how much pain you must be feeling but Brax is not in the wrong. Jake Pirovic is in the wrong, Jake shot Charlie, Jake put Charlie in this place **not** Brax, ok? His fiancé was taken from him moments before being declared his wife- Brax was and is obviously struggling so you need to stop acting childish and understand that people react in different ways. Brax reacted in a bloody selfish way by not visiting Charlie, I understand that but you need to forgive him or at least stop pretending that you are the victim- he did not set out to hurt you or Charlie and all he wants is to visit her? You don't believe me?' Georgia paused her speech and grabbed her mobile from her pocket, she shone the screen in Ruby's face 'I have received over 70 messages from Brax just today all of them are pleading me to get you to let him visit Charlie. So, I am going to call Brax and tell him to come visit because although I love you and feel so much empathy for you- You are acting absolutely immature by treating him this way' Georgia took a breath after her long speech, she was emotionally tired of being in a tense atmosphere, Charlie needed love in her room and that is exactly what Brax could bring.

Ruby didn't respond for a moment, she tucked her hair behind her ears and shook her body lightly 'I just miss my mummy' she whispered, tears spilt out of Ruby's eyes and she struggled to hide her face with her hands 'I am all alone' she choked out

'Oh honey' Georgia breathed, she passed Heath her phone and pulled Ruby into her arms 'You aren't alone baby, not at all… not for a second' Georgia whispered into her ear, she stroked Ruby's back tenderly and subtly nodded at Heath to call Brax and get him to come to the hospital- it was time for the four of them to band together for Charlie and show her that **all **her friends were there for her.

.

Brax answered his phone as it buzzed in his pocket.

'Hello Georgia?' Brax talked into the phone

'It's Heath- I'm just using Georgia's phone' Heath interrupted

'Oh, okay. What do you want?' Brax asked, he began to pack up the chairs in Angelos

'Get in the car and come to the hospital now' Heath instructed

Brax stopped what he was doing so that he could concentrate on the conversation 'Huh, why? What's going on?'

Heath sighed 'Georgie went all crazy on Ruby and pretty much just told her that you were coming to see Charlie'

Brax smiled lightly, he was glad that Georgia had finally been able to push past Ruby's demands.

'Yeah, alright I'm on my way now' Brax muttered into the phone while he bustled out the door to Angelos

'And Brax, you should know that it's not all good news…' Heath added remembering what Sid had told them earlier about the decreasing chance for waking-up that Charlie had. Heath hadn't stopped hoping but he had stopped planning for the future, there had been no more chatter about Brax buying a house for him and Charlie, or about them having kids so that Amber could have a cousin. Heath wanted Charlie to wake-up for both Ruby and Brax's sake but he knew that she probably wouldn't… and you can't help what your brain thinks.

'What do you mean… has something happened?'

'Sid Walker came in earlier and told us that Charlie's chance of survival is dropping' Heath admitted, he could hear Brax's breathe quieten from the other side of the conversation. Then he was left with the repetitive beeping noise of the dial tone as Brax had hung-up.

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**Short chapter, yes but you need to know that the next chapter is when the big choice is made, DO YOU KEEP CHARLIE'S LIFE SUPPORT ON? The more you review, the faster I'll try to update and trust me… the next update will be worth it, some big emotions are alive in it…**

**I hoped you enjoyed this chapter lovelies xxx **


	6. Eyes Wide

**Update!**

**If you want to listen to music while you are reading, I listened to 'Fresh Pair of Eyes' by Brooke Waggoner- that you may recognize from an episode of Pretty Little Liars (early in the series) and I also listened to 'Every time' by Britney Spears on repeat the entire time, they are beautiful songs!**

**Or… just get stuck into reading the chapter!**

**Thankyou for your beautiful reviews as always! xoxo**

**.**

Brax arrived at the hospital in a flash; he couldn't stop thinking about what Heath had told him over the phone. Charlie was apparently losing the ability to wake; the numbers were dropping away each day. Brax felt like this news was stabbing him in the heart- the 8-9% chance that she would wake was depressing, it's the type of number that people go silent over hearing it spoken because what do you say? What can you say to raise the hope of someone who knows that the person they love has a 91% chance of remaining asleep, remaining a comatose patient for the rest of both their lives.

Brax immediately arrived at the door of Charlie's hospital room; he pressed the door wide open and moved into the open space. Brax was greeted by the eyes of Ruby who was staring at him emotionlessly. Heath and Georgia were asleep on the couch together, Heath had his arms wrapped loosely around Georgia's body, his head was nestled into her neck and the two of them looked peaceful, Brax couldn't help but feel jealousy- not of Georgia but of them as a couple, Brax wanted to be able to do that with Charlie. He wanted her to be able to curl into his arms and for him to be able to stroke her hair and feel the vibration of her chest as she filled her lungs with air. Brax knew that he could do all those things now but it wouldn't be real, it would be cheating because she was unconscious and he was in pain.

Ruby remained silent but here staring eyes burnt through Brax's skin. Brax stood still; he didn't know where to stand. He leant his hands over the bed and stroked her leg comfortingly just to feel her body.

'You can sit down' Ruby nodded towards the seat on the other side of the bed, Brax nodded silently and took the seat, he moved it closer towards Charlie and he squeezed her hand in his own. Brax missed Charlie so much; he couldn't handle the unknown truth that loomed over them, would she ever open her eyes?

'Did Heath tell you… about what Sid said about-' Ruby began, her voice was tired and timid

'Yeah, yeah he did.' Brax interrupted lightly

Ruby nodded and squirmed in her seat, she pushed a piece of hair out of Charlie's face and leant back into her own chair.

'I know that you didn't put her here, I know that it wasn't your fault… any of it' Ruby trod on her words carefully- she tried to abstain from implying any direct emotion into her voice

'Thanks' Brax murmered

Ruby sighed and watched the various machines beep and light up.

Brax leant off his chair and kissed Charlie's lips lightly, he allowed his body a moment to pick up the scent of her body that he remembered so thoroughly

'I don't know what to do' Ruby suddenly spoke up

Brax looked at her pale body, Under Ruby's eyes their were pale gray shadows that showed her lack of sleep and sunlight.

'Me neither' Brax agreed

'I think' Ruby took a heavy breath, her voice shook with tears 'I think that we should consider saying goodbye' Ruby tried again

Brax felt like shouting at Ruby, telling her no! But, things had been so heated; Brax didn't want to fight Ruby anymore.

'I don't want her to go' Brax sighed, he laced his fingers into Charlie's and fixed his eye's on her silent body

'I don't either' Ruby allowed her voice to whimper 'I want her to wake up but part of me thinks that we are just holding onto lost hope…. What if she never wakes up'

Brax nodded, he had thought those thoughts as well, it just reassured that he and Ruby had more in common than they both realized- overpowering all the factors were the everlasting love that they both had for Charlie.

'Will you still visit me, if she goes?' Ruby asked in a small voice, her vulnerability shone through

Brax smiled lightly 'Of course, you and I are family'

'And Charlie' Ruby added suddenly

'Yeah, and Charlie' Brax echoed

'She loves you so much' Ruby added 'I know that you already know that much but I was wrong to shout at you those days ago. I just wanted someone to blame for everything'

Brax nodded, he knew that Ruby was sorry- he wanted to blame someone as well and it felt easier to hide every emotion and pretend that he didn't care but they both knew that that was the biggest lie…. Pretending not to care.

Suddenly Brax noticed Heath begin to wake, he lightly untangled is body from Georgia's clutch but allowed her head to remain sleeping on him.

'Is everything ok?' Heath muttered wiping sleep out of his eyes

'Sure' Brax replied 'Sure…'

Ruby turned her body to face Heath 'We were talking about the next step'

'Next step?' Heath asked confused, he fiddled his hand through Georgia's hair but kept his puzzled eyes glued to Ruby.

Brax noticed Ruby glance at the floor so he decided to continue for her 'I would wait forever for Charlie to wake-up but it will only get harder if we put off saying goodbye' Brax explained, he regretted every word that slipped out of his mouth- how could he be considering ending Charlie's life?

'Wow' Heath murmered, he scratched his stubbly jaw 'I had no idea that you were considering this'

'We aren't, we weren't. We… we were just talking- its all talk. Nothing is decided' Brax interrupted, this type of conversation wasn't supposed to happen like this, it wasn't supposed to happen at all. The story was supposed to end with Charlie waking up and life continuing.

'I know that both of you wouldn't normally consider this' Heath explained 'You wouldn't talk like this'

Brax didn't say anything but he knew that his brother was right, but the exhaustion was kicking in and they were all so tired and sad that they couldn't see any hope.

'We are all going to go out and get some dinner- no exceptions. Everyone needs to get their head straight and be out of the hospital for a bit' Heath instructed

Brax reluctantly nodded, he would much rather be with Charlie but irrational thinking was not helping anyone.

'Come on Ruby, it will be good to get some food in your system' Brax persuaded lightly

'No' She replied still holding Charlie's hand 'I'll wait with Georgia' She nodded towards Georgia's sleeping body on the couch

Heath smirked and raised the corners of is mouth into a cheeky smile 'you are kidding right? It's food. Georgia will murder us all if we don't wake her for a food run, you are coming as well… we all are'

Brax couldn't help but stifle a chuckle, Heath was right. If there was food- Georgia would be there, she seemed to always eat but she was deemed lucky because it didn't affect her body- she was the skinniest girl in the bay (almost unhealthily)

Heath shook Georgia lightly to wake her.

'Charlie will be here when we get back' Brax told Ruby

'I know' she rolled her eyes with a sigh, 'Lets just go' Ruby walked out of the room

Georgia had woken from her sleep 'I call shotgun on picking the flavor of pizza' she laughed before following Heath out the door. Brax paused at the exit and looked back at Charlie. 'I love you so much' He whispered, Brax wiped a tear from his eye and he turned his back; following the others to his car in the car park. Everything had changed today, everyone's emotions had swapped- the usual protective Ruby had become lifeless and vulnerable. The usual immature and humorous Heath had taken charge and been responsible and Brax, he had been angry and sad about the situation but today had been different- all his reactions were hauntingly open, he had almost given-up.

Georgia sat behind the steering wheel with Heath in the back seat next to Ruby. That seating arrangement left Brax in the front passenger seat next to Georgia.

'Hey, Nup. You aren't driving my car' Brax laughed at Georgia who was happily tapping the steering wheel with her fingers.

'Aw come on? I am a cop, that just ensures that I'm the safest driver on the road' She responded with a puppy-dog face for persuasion

'Georgie, you have crashed Heath's car' Brax reminded

'Several times' Heath added with a chuckle from the backseat

'I think that I recall you actually crashing my Ute about 4 times in one year' Brax added with a chuckle

'Nah, nah it was _my Toyota_ that she crashed _4 times_ and it was your Ute that she got the speeding fines for' Heath corrected with a wink

Georgia rolled her eyes and twisted the keys for the car 'I hate you all' She teased while stepping on the ignition heavily.

Brax pretended to clutch the sides of the car dramatically 'everyone! Hold on tight, we have the crazy Georgia C behind the wheel' Heath smirked

The whole car erupted into laughter as Georgia swerved around corners. For around 10 minutes the four of them were able to joke around, laugh and tease as if life was all right, as if Charlie wasn't still in a coma.

.

The four of them sat at a booth in Angelos and ate pizza.

'I'm glad you got me out of the hospital, this is nice' Ruby said while chewing on a hot slice of pizza. Brax nodded his head and forced a smile but he couldn't eat- his stomach was doing backflips over wanting to see Charlie again.

'We can go see her soon' Heath whispered subtly so that only Brax could here- he must have sensed what Brax was feeling.

'Ugh, I feel bloated' Georgia complained clutching her stomach 'I'm going to grab some water' Heath followed her out of the booth and into the kitchen.

Brax and Ruby sat in silence for a while.

'I can't believe we even considered turning the life support off' Ruby finally admitted, she faced the ground and fiddled with her hands.

'I know, I – I mean we can't give-up on her' Brax smiled, he knew that all the talk in the hospital was a mistake, he would wait for Charlie for as long as it took for her to wake-up.

Suddenly Brax felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He pulled it out and clicked answer.

'Hello?"

'Brax, its Sid Walker' the voice replied. Why would Sid need to call Brax? Brax cupped the phone away from his ear and mouthed to Ruby that it was Sid on the phone.

'What does he want? What's happened?' Ruby asked

Brax waved his hand to dismiss her eager chatter. 'Sid, what's wrong?' he asked

Brax heard Sid take a deep breath, the silence was earth shattering, and all Brax wanted was to know what was going on.

'I can't believe that I'm telling you this but… you all need to get back to the hospital now'

Brax subconsciously held his breath, what had happened? 'What. Why?' Brax immediately responded, his voice was panicked.

'Brax, Charlie is awake'

The phone dropped to the floor. Brax was in shock. The sound of the phone smashing onto the hardwood floor brought on quite a few confused glances from customers.

'What's going on?' Ruby asked

Brax didn't respond at first, he slowly looked at Ruby and smiled, tears of happiness fell out of his eyes. This was finally over; finally he could be with the woman he loved- everything could go back to normal.

.

Brax and Ruby raced through the doors of the hospital, they pushed through people, both eager to see the open eyes of the woman that they both loved. Each step moved the two of them closer to Charlie; each step brought them closer to seeing Charlie after what felt like forever. Brax paused outside the door of her room, Ruby stood beside him. 'This is the day we have been waiting for' Ruby breathed before pushing the door open, Brax followed her through the doorway.

Charlie was lieing in her bed, her eyes were shut but many of the machines had been unhooked from her body

'She's ok, just sleeping' Sid suddenly said, he had been standing hidden in the shadows of Charlie's room. 'I'll leave you guys for a few minutes- when she wakes-up please call me in, I need to run some exams' Sid said before leaving the room.

Brax immediately walked up to Charlie, he laced her hands into his own and pressed a small kiss onto her cheek. Charlie's eyes suddenly fluttered open, you could suddenly see the life in her body again, and she was finally back.

'Mum' Ruby's voice cracked and she released tears as she pulled Charlie into her arms for a hug. Brax felt his body melt, he kept hold of Charlie's hand and began to lower his mouth towards her to press a kiss onto her lips 'I love you so much, I'm so glad your awake' Brax whispered as he slowly leant closer to Charlie's body.

Suddenly she pulled away, her hand ripping from Brax's grip and her eyes teary with confusion 'what's wrong Charlie?" Ruby asked, unsure at why her mum had reacted so dismissively to Brax's advances

'Who is that?' Charlie's voice trembled

'What, who?" Ruby asked obviously unsure of what or whom Charlie was referring to

'Him' Charlie pointed to Brax. Brax took a step back, what was going on?

Charlie had woken up and she was talking but the most heart-breaking thing had happened, Charlie had forgotten Brax. She had no memory of the man she loved.

.

.

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**WOW! She woke up! Will her memory come back? Read the next chapters, remember the more you review- the faster I'll try to update**

**I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! There is going to be a lot of drama happening but I promise…. There is some sort of light ahead xxx**

**Thankyou for you beautiful responses so far, they are what keep me going!**


	7. Who are you? I love you

**New chapter! YAY xoxo**

**.**

Have you ever met someone again- someone that you know and they've said something like 'Sorry, I just can't remember your name'- remember how those words sting because you thought that your face was an important part of their life, this is worse. A person has been forgotten; a relationship has been forgotten… the ultimate love has been forgotten.

.

'Who are you?' Charlie repeated, her body was trembling with fear.

Brax didn't know what to say, it was all happening differently. She was supposed to wake up, Charlie was supposed to wake-up but this wasn't Charlie. This voice seemed so lost and confused; this mind had no clue who Brax was.

Brax reached forward and grabbed Charlie's hands in his own; he moved his face into her view. 'It's me. It's Brax' He insisted, Brax's voice sounded scared but loud.

Charlie stopped her crying and she looked into Brax's eyes, for a moment it looked as if she was remembering. 'I'm sorry' Charlie then breathed, she let Brax's hand slip from her grip 'I'm so sorry but I don't remember you' Charlie paused and watched as Brax dropped his gaze to the ground 'I'm sure your really lovely but I just…. I just can't remember' Charlie admitted

Ruby had earlier left the room to call Heath and Georgia to come to the hospital.

Suddenly their was a slight knock on the door.

'Come in' Brax muttered, he lowered his body into the couch. Sid came into the room with a dry expression. 'Brax, Ruby told me about what's going on'

Brax shook his head, tears still glinting in his eyes 'She told you that my meant-to-be wife doesn't know who I am?' Brax interrupted angrily, out of the corner her noticed Charlie's body slightly stiffen at that comment.

'Brax, please. What Charlie seems to be suffering from is a type of memory loss known as Lacunar Amnesia where the patient- Charlie's brain has blocked out a specific event'

'I'm not an event' Brax whispered, he was more than one memory. How could all their time together be forgotten, well Brax didn't forget and he was going to make sure that Charlie didn't either.

'Its often found when patients block out events or people associated with traumatic events and Its no news to me that you both have had a full on year… so it may just by Charlie's mind coping with everything' Sid explained.

After a minute Charlie spoke up, she felt so scared and nervous. There was this hole in her memory that she didn't understand 'Will I get my memory back?' Charlie asked

Brax flicked his head up; he wanted to hear the response as well.

'There is a chance that you will recover some or all of your memory but I can't be certain'

Charlie nodded. Brax couldn't comprehend it all, how could he be expected to relive his entire relationship from the beginning? How could he hide his feelings from Charlie when all he wanted to do was hold her?

'Any more questions?" Sid asked

'What about Georgie, will Charlie remember her because they kind of met through me?' Brax asked

'The name is familiar' Charlie murmered 'Am I friends with this Georgina person?'

'It's Georgia' Brax corrected icily, he couldn't handle this 'Her god damn name is Georgia! I am Brax, Daryl Braxton and you…. and you and I are supposed to be married, none of this is meant to be happening' Brax exclaimed, he quickly ran out of the room. He couldn't be in there anymore, this was all going wrong.

Georgia bumped into him in the corridor 'Woah, slow down' she chuckled nervously as Brax's body flew into her.

'Whatever' Brax muttered, pushing past her aggressively.

'Hey, no sweetie, what's going on?' Georgia asked noticing Brax's distressed emotions, she placed a hand on Brax's shoulder to hold him in front of her.

'I'm a stranger to her' Brax whispered, his hands were shaking nervously at his side.

Georgia felt her throat tighten. 'But she's awake' She attempted to lighten the situation

Brax stared into Georgia's eyes coldly 'She is awake but has no memory of me or anything to do with our entire relationship' he exclaimed

Georgia grabbed Brax's hands and stiffly pulled them together into her grasp. 'Baby, baby' her voice was light and soothing 'Take a breath…It's going to be ok'

Brax allowed his hands to be held by Georgia but he shook his head and frowned 'How is it going to be ok?' Brax's voice whimpered, he wiped his eyes quickly to remove the tears that were escaping down his cheeks. 'How, how? The woman I love…' Brax took a strangled breath 'I love her, she… she doesn't love me'

'No. Don't be stupid. Charlie is in love with you, she loves you more than everything, she loves you so much that her memory will come back, she will remember your love' Georgia paused for a moment before breaking her serious expression into a cheeky grin '…And I can't believe that I just said the word love about 5 times in that last sentence'

Brax let his mouth curve into a small smile; Georgia always made him smile even in the saddest of times. 'It's not funny' he told himself, it wasn't fair to find happiness when Brax may have just lost the woman he was going to marry forever

'You're right, its not funny. I'm sorry. But, you need to know that I will do whatever I can to help both you and Charlie through this' Georgia promised, she released Brax's hands from her grip before giving him a quick kiss on the cheek and walking towards the nurses bay.

.

The next day Georgia went into work and she discovered that she had been put in charge as the head detective on Charlie's shooting. They had put both Hammer and Jake under arrest with no chance of bail and Loren had been sent to the city for questioning, the station was much quieter without the constant bickering that Loren seemed to have with everyone.

Georgia dumped her coffee on the counter and ran a hand through her hair exhaustedly.

''Hey Detective' one of the officers greeted her

'Hey Jack' she smiled grimly, Georgia dumped her files on the counter in front of Jack and took another long sip of her coffee, the shot of caffeine spiked her tired body and it enabled her to straighten up and take another step forward into the day.

'Are you investigating Charlie's case?' Jack asked curiously, he read the writing, which was scrawled along the folder that Georgia had put on the counter, craning his neck around so that the writing was facing the correct way.

'Uh, yeah... I am actually supposed to be interviewing her on her memory in like 10 minutes or so' Georgia added

'Oh, well how is she doing?'

Georgia sighed she knew that all their colleagues were immensely curious about the proceedings of the wedding. 'She is awake which is the most important factor but her memory…. She only remembers Ruby- her daughter, a few friends like Bianca and I think I remember Dr. Walker saying she remembers Leah'

Jack nodded; he flicked through the pages of the notes and read the scribbled notes aloud. 'What about you, does she remember you?' he flicked his gaze to Georgia

She lowered her eyes 'I don't think so. But it doesn't matter; I have a theory of her memory loss…. But it doesn't matter it sounds stupid'

Jack flashed a smile 'Nah, come on… tell me?'

Georgia straightened herself up and took a deep breath. 'If you think about what Charlie remembers and what she seems to have forgotten… its almost as if she has forgotten everything associated with the River Boys- I mean, Its how she met Brax, Heath and me'

Jack removed his smile and peered at Georgia seriously 'It makes sense, the river-boys arrival could be the traumatic trigger instigating the memory loss'

Georgia nodded 'which means that all her amnesia could be emotional not physical'

Jack grinned 'With the right emotional stimulation we could probably get Charlie to remember everything'

Georgia quickly snagged the files together off the counter; she checked her watch and noticed that the time was lessening to the time of her appointment with Charlie. 'I gotta go Jack, but thanks for the help' Georgia raced out of the station and drove to the hospital. In the car, she began to think about what it would be like. Georgia hadn't seen Charlie since waking up and she couldn't be sure which memories Charlie remembered and which she didn't.

Georgia arrived at the hospital and saw Brax walk out of her room. 'Hey there' she smiled 'any progress in the memory department?"

Brax shook his head 'Nah, good luck. Maybe she will remember more with your help'

'I'll try' Georgia replied while walking into the room, she pressed the door shut behind herself. Charlie was sitting up in the bed, her slim body looked fragile against the bedframe.

'Hey Charlie' Georgia murmered

Charlie widened her eyes, they looked scared and lonely 'Sorry, do I know you… I mean, am I supposed to know you?" Charlie's voice was light and nervous

Georgia felt her mouth curve into a frown, it was quite upsetting to know that Charlie had forgotten their friendship but if her theory was correct their could be a way for Charlie to regain all those precious memories and that was enough hope for now.

'Yeah, you and I are friends' Georgia grinned

'You're a cop' Charlie identified noticing Georgia's badge and coat

'I'm a detective, _you_ are a cop' She corrected with a wink

There was a slight edge of silence as the two girls tried to figure out what to say next. Georgia was usually a confident person, flirty with anyone and everyone but she was so unsure of what to say and how to act around someone who was so incredibly clueless of it all.

Charlie tried to break a smile '… are you friends with Darryl as well?' she asked

'Yeah, he's my best friend' Georgia nodded; she rested her body on the edge of Charlie's bed.

'It's too much' she murmered in response

Charlie suddenly covered her eyes with her shaking hands, pained cries escaped her mouth and her body rocked back and forth 'I'm so scared, I don't know who's being honest with me' she choked out 'I don't know who I can trust'. Georgia slid her body closer to Charlie 'we are the people you can trust sweetie. I know it must seem like a whole bunch of strangers insisting that you know them but, I swear to you, not Brax, nor me or Heath or Ruby or anyone would lie to you and until you regain your memory. You need to trust us'

Charlie slowly took her hands away 'Ok' she whispered faintly, suddenly Charlie inspected her hand, she softly grazed the engagement ring that was still hugging her finger. 'I'm supposed to be married' she breathed

Georgia nodded 'Yeah, you were shot on your wedding day' she explained

Charlie moved her hand upto he wound. 'It feels like my brain remembers my life so thoroughly upto a point, I remember Ruby, I know Sid Walker, I know all my friends but then…I get told that I have all these new relationships and I can honestly not remember any of them'

Georgia sighed 'Ok, do you want a quick rundown on your life?' she offered

Charlie giggled 'What the hell, I'm sure you know more about it than I do' she rolled her eyes. Georgia crossed her legs and moved further onto the end of the hospital bed, she grabbed a cushion and made herself comfortable. 'Ok, first the riverboys came to town- that Heath and Brax and Casey and-' Georgia began

'Hold up, who is Casey?' she asked Charlie had heard both Brax and Georgia mention the other two names but not Casey.

'He is Brax and Heath's brother, He used to date Ruby'

'Oh, did they break-up?' Charlie asked, she was eager to learn as much about her life as she could

'He died' Georgia whispered

The two of them sat in silence for a moment as Charlie processed the new information. 'Anyway, at first you hated Brax and then he tried to kiss you… you arrested him for that' Georgia giggled as she reminisced over the stories Brax had told her about his and Charlie's romance before Georgia had relocated to the bay. Georgia told Charlie lots of facts about the riverboys, herself and mostly about her relationship with Brax.

'And then I got shot…. And _you _got shot… You went into surgery, then into a coma and…' Georgia tried to finish

'And then I forgot… everything' Charlie interrupted

Georgia lightly hugged Charlie's body before feeling her phone vibrate in her pocket. She pulled it out and read the text aloud 'Its Brax; He wants to know whether I'm finished in here and…. Whether he can come chat with you?' Georgia asked slowly

Charlie pushed her hair behind her ear 'I guess so, sure…' she murmered

Georgia inspected Charlie's expression; she lightly pushed Charlie's chin up and gave her a cheeky grin. 'Don't sound so excited' she laughed sarcastically.

Charlie smiled firmly 'I just don't get it. Why would I go for a river-boy, It just doesn't seem like something I'd do'

Georgia smirked 'They are hot' she winked flirtatiously before looking at Charlie seriously 'Brax is a good guy and until you get your memory back you are just going to have to take my word for it'

'What if I don't' she murmered, Charlie's hands nervously fiddled with the corner of one of the white sheets 'What if I never remember?"

Georgia sighed 'Then you are going to have to relive all the memories again and create new ones'

'What if Brax doesn't want to wait that long' she whispered, her face was sad and lonely

'He waited for you to go public about your relationship; he waited for you to tell people about the engagement, he waited for you to wake-up. He waits, Brax wait's for you because he wants to be with you' Georgia whispered with a small smile playing across her lips

.

The door of Charlie's hospital door knocked, she looked up from the couch, which she was sitting on. 'Come in'

Brax shuffled through the door, his hands were nervously clutching a bunch of flowers. 'You are out of your hospital gown' Brax begun conversation, noticing the denim shorts and loose t-shirt that Charlie was currently wearing.

'Yeah' she nodded, Charlie stretched her hands down her legs and took a deep breathe. 'I'm allowed to go… home tonight' she added

Brax nodded. Would that mean Charlie would go back with him? Or, or somewhere else?

'I brought you these flowers, they are roses…pink ones… your favorite' Brax's voice slowly faded as he placed the bunch on the table

'I know that they're my favorite… but Thankyou' Charlie smiled lightly. Brax sat on the opposite end of the couch and stared up at Charlie shyly. His hand lightly brushed her arm and she didn't move, for a moment they remained still- Brax closed his eyes and tried to imagine that Charlie did remember everything.

'Were you able to remember anything extra?" Brax suddenly asked with a subtle cough to break the silence

Charlie shrugged dismissively and Brax watched her body uncomfortably shift further away from Brax on the couch. Brax reached out and slowly slid his hand across hers. 'I love you so much and I know that…' he took a strained breath 'I understand that you don't remember me and you may never remember loving me but you need to know that I won't forget my love you' he whispered. Charlie stifled tears back and she nodded, afraid that any spoken word would force her into a crying mess. Brax didn't take his hand away from Charlie's and for what felt like forever they remained sitting together in silence, Brax prayed that her memory would suddenly click back on like a switch turned off at the power-point but he knew that it was unlikely.

'What kind of things did we do together, as a couple?" Charlie suddenly asked, perking up with newly found curiosity 'You know like, on dates and stuff?'

Brax felt his cheeks flush red as his mind flashed back to the raunchy memories of the dates early on in their relationship, which consisted of sex and not much else.

'Oh you know, romantic strolls along the beach and candle-lit dinners with classical musicians serenading us' Brax lied, his voice rose an octave with nerves.

Charlie rolled her eyes 'cut the bullshit. What did we actually do?' she laughed seeing through Brax's lie

Brax groaned and leant his head backwards across the top of the couch. 'We had sex, a lot of sex'

Charlie laughed 'So romantic' she rolled her eyes

'We were a secretive couple; we never did anything outside the room! It was either sex or watch re-runs of the Bold and the Beautiful' Brax insisted

Charlie squeezed Brax's hand and continued to laugh. For a moment it seemed almost as if Charlie and Brax were back to normal, the playful banter was reminiscent of the old days.

'Come on, we must have done something. What did you do to make me like you in the first place?' Charlie asked as her laughs came to a faded end

'I kissed you' Brax admitted simply

'…Ok and what about after that?" she pushed for information

Brax smirked under his breath 'Sex'

Charlie groaned, she let her head fall onto Brax's shoulder 'I'm such a slut, trust **me** to fall for a guy who seduced me with his body' she joked amidst giggles.

Brax subconsciously stroked her hair. To soon. Charlie awkwardly slid her head away. 'We talked as well' Brax added after a moment of silence had passed

'I'm glad' Charlie smiled 'But that's all it can be for a while, just talking.

'I can wait' Brax promised and he would.

.

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**Another chapter! Please update your thoughts; there will be more CHAX interaction next chapter, I promise! Charlie's memory is not back…. Yet. I'm not telling whether she will remember Brax or not you will just need to keep reading, there are going to be other storylines for them both as well as a significant one for Georgia and Heath coming up. The more you review, the more I attempt to update xx I hope you like this chapter and are enjoying the ff in general**


	8. I remember the Bitch

**Update everyone!**

**Happy Easter weekend everyone! Xoxo**

**Please read and review**

.

The car ride was painfully awkward. Brax, Heath, Georgia, Ruby and Charlie were all sitting in their seats silently as Brax drove towards his house. Charlie had agreed to stay with him but in a separate room. The whole group of them were all having a celebratory dinner together in honor of Charlie being out of hospital.

'I'm cooking the dessert' Georgia piped up, trying to diffuse the silence.

'Cool' Charlie murmered, she scratched her fingers along the window of the car and sighed. Brax took his eyes off the road to look at Charlie for a moment, she looked miserable; he didn't know what to do about it.

'You okay?' Brax asked her. Charlie lowered her gaze to the floor and nodded 'Yeah, I'm just hungry' she responded

'Well good thing Brax is cooking tonight! He's making chicken parmijana- your favorite' Heath smiled, he leant a hand over and squeezed Charlie's shoulder friendlily. 'Well you said it was your favorite… but if you don't like it anymore… that's fine- I mean, we can order pizza or something' Brax mumbled awkwardly, Charlie had lost all memory of him so there is no way she would still remember a chicken dish he cooked for her.

'I'm sure its lovely' Charlie interrupted; she turned the corners of her mouth into a smile. 'Do you need my help? Cooking anything…' she then asked

Ruby smirked and Heath stifled a laugh. 'What?' Charlie asked confused, she turned her body to face Heath in the back seat.

'Last time you cooked for us, Georgia was puking up her stomach in the toilet the whole night and Brax has never eaten _Tomate De' Fraise _since' Heath laughed

Charlie cringed and groaned, she leant her body back in her seat. Georgia made fake vomiting noises and gestures from her seat to tease Charlie.

'Stop being mean to Charlie, she is our patient' Brax defended Charlie; he leant a hand back and slapped Georgia's leg to stop her from making the teasing noises.

Georgia squealed and Brax moved his hand back to Charlie, he lightly grazed her leg and smiled at her. 'You can help me make the chicken'

'Thanks' Charlie said lightly, her cheeks blushed under Brax's heavy gaze.

The car pulled into Brax's driveway. He immediately switched the ignition off and raced to open the car door for Charlie and help her out of her seat.

'Here' Brax put a hand out to help her steady herself. Charlie clung onto his hand and smiled gratefully. 'Heath grab Charlie's bag, it's in the boot and Georgie, can you quickly drive to the Angelos and get us a bottle of wine?' Brax instructed as he led Charlie's fragile body up the stairs to the front door.

'Sorry' Charlie apologized as her legs stumbled on the stairs 'I'm being such a burden' She grabbed Brax's hand again as she felt her body strain as her independent steps failed to be enough strength.

'You aren't a burden, I love you' Brax quickly corrected himself 'I mean, I love having you here'

Charlie ignored his momentary slip-up and she opened the front door.

'Brax! I'm taking your car to get the wine' Georgia suddenly called out from the lower ground, her hands swung Brax's car-keys in the air

Brax nodded and he followed Charlie inside. 'Do you want to have a glass of water' He asked

Charlie shook her head, 'I'm fine, Thankyou. Maybe, I could just have a quick lie-down?' she asked

Brax nodded 'Sure, I'll show you the room' He led Charlie towards their bedroom, Brax decided to sleep on the couch and let Charlie have the bed. As they walked into the bedroom Brax noticed Charlie stare at a series of pictures on the bedside table. They were pictures of the two of them together. The specific one that Charlie's eyes were drawn to was an image where it looked as if Brax was whispering something into Charlie's ear, his arms were loosely draped over her shoulders and Charlie was giggling. It was a nice photo.

'I can take the photo's away if you want' Brax asked, pushing one of the frames facedown on the table.

'No it's ok, I actually like it. It 's nice to see all these memories that I have forgotten In fact seeing pictures may help me remember all of this' Charlie quickly responded, she reached out a hand and lifted up the photo frame that Brax had pushed over. Charlie lightly stroked the image, for some reason she felt her eyes gloss over with tears. Charlie saw how in love she looked in the photo and it was heartbreaking to have all of that taken away, she couldn't pretend to remember Brax- She needed the love to be remembered and to be real.

'I'll leave so you can get some rest, just call out if you need anything' Brax said, he reluctantly moved towards the door.

'Wait' Charlie quickly stammered, she lowered her body onto the corner of the bed 'Will you stay… Just for a little while'

Brax nodded. He felt slightly guilty in the pit of his stomach though as he couldn't stop his mind from thinking up romantic scenarios when in his heart he knew that all Charlie needed right now was a friend.

'Sure' Brax sighed, he sat on the bed and watched as Charlie slid further back until she was lieing across the left side of the bed, and her head was nestled in the middle of a cushion. Brax watched as she got comfortable and he reminisced over the familiar memories of having her lieing in that very position.

'It's ok right? That I lie here?' Charlie asked self-consciously she noticed Brax's staring eyes;

He nodded and allowed his own body to fall into the comforts of the bed.

'I like sleeping on the-' Charlie began

'On the right side of the bed, I know' Brax interrupted, his voice was almost a whisper 'It's where you'd insist to sleep when you moved in' he added lightly

Charlie smiled and turned her body so that she was facing Brax.

'Do you think I'll get my memory back?" Charlie asked suddenly, her eyes immediately looked nervous and unsure, as if she had been contemplating this for a while.

Brax knew that he probably shouldn't corrupt her slowly improving trust but he couldn't resist her body, he slid his hand out and grabbed her hand.

'Yeah, yeah I really do' Brax responded. Charlie regaining her memory was his only wish right now, every moment of the day he pleaded that she would remember him. Not like now where she knew his name and favorite meal but like the old times where she could tell how he was feeling or what he was thinking about by just one look. Brax could tell that she wasn't improving, her eyes looked lost and confused but her attitude showed that she was trying harder than anything to remember.

Charlie stared into Brax's eyes, he looked so kind and he had been so nice to her but she couldn't remember the details. He was still just the nice guy who claimed they were in love.

After a while Brax noticed Charlie had drifted asleep.

The bedroom door swung open just as Brax lifted a blanket over Charlie's body.

It was Georgia. 'Oops, sorry… for interrupting' She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively and winked at Brax as she noticed the two of them lieing on the bed

Brax immediately sat up 'No, no- don't wiggle your eyebrows at me' Brax instructed, pointing his finger at her.

Georgia giggled but continued to move her eyebrows up and down.

'Nothing was going on! We were just talking' Brax insisted

'While lieing on the bed together, you tucking her in' Georgia added in a singsong voice, she rested her body against the bedroom wall.

'What are you even doing in here?' Brax sighed

'I thought the three of us could snuggle' Georgia put on a childish voice, she pouted at Brax and watched him squirm at her joke.

'No snuggling. No nothing, now lets go and make dinner while Charlie sleeps' Brax stood up off the bed and guided Georgia out of the room.

'I bet you'd like to do some baking in Charlie's oven' Georgia added in a sexual tone, she slapped Brax's lower back.

'Kitchen. Now!' He shoved Georgia into the kitchen 'Don't come out until you have made a bloody good salad, ok?' He added in a mock angry tone

'Alright Mr. Angry-ass' Georgia poked her tongue out at Brax

'Make it a good salad, Miss everything-has-to-be-interpreted-in-a-sexual-way' Brax laughed before leaving the kitchen and sitting on the couch, beer in his hand

'You do realize its bloody sexist to expect the woman to cook just because the men asked' Georgia added

Brax listened to the sounds of her chopping up vegetables and he grabbed the television remote off Heath.

'Oy Georgia, can you bring me a beer when you are done?" Heath called out, shaking his empty beer bottle in his hand.

'Sexist!' She cried but brought him a chilled beer out a couple of minutes later

.

Dinner was ready after a lot of chopping, baking and healthy kitchen banter.

The table was set and everyone took a seat at the table.

'Where is Charlie?' Ruby asked as she observed the empty seat opposite her

'Uhhm, probably still asleep, I'll go get her' Brax replied, he quickly put the tray of chicken on the table before walking towards the bedroom to get Charlie. She wasn't asleep. As Brax slowly pushed the bedroom door open he saw her sitting on the bed, she was cradling a picture of the two of them and staring intently at it. Brax quietly shut the door behind himself and he stood against the wall

'You ok?' Brax asked  
>Charlie immediately dropped the photo onto the pillow and looked up at Brax 'Sorry, I was… I was just thinking' Charlie admitted<p>

'It's cool, I just came to tell you dinner was ready' Brax said

Charlie raised her body off the bed and she carefully put the photo back on the bedside table. 'It's a nice photo' Brax murmered as he saw it was another picture from the night he proposed to Charlie.

'Yeah, I was trying to use it to get my memories back' Charlie nodded

'Well, I have a whole album of pictures. If you want, I can help you try and remember more after dinner?' Brax offered

'I'd like that' Charlie smiled at him before walking out of the room and upto the dinner table.

The five of them were all around the table, it was the first time they had all eaten a meal together in months, there was always an issue preventing them from all being together but finally the five of them could sit together and talk together as if everything was back to normal.

'How is the chicken Charlie?' Heath asked as Charlie swallowed a mouthful of her meal

'It's delicious' She nodded, her cheeks still bulging with mouthfuls of the chicken

Brax laughed in happiness and he took a swig of his beer.

Charlie swallowed her food and decided to introduce a new topic of conversation 'So, when do I get to meet or re-meet this Amber?' she asked heath and Georgia

'She is actually in Queensland with Heath's mum, I wanted her to get away from all the drama for a couple of weeks' Georgia responded

'Yeah, the house would be too crowded if Georgia and I moved back in with Brax as well as Amber' Heath added

Brax choked on his drink. He slammed the beer back on the table in shock 'Moving back in?' he coughed

'Yeah, just until Charlie recovers. We thought you could use the extra help around the house' Heath calmed his brother; he passed Brax more chicken before taking a sip of Georgia's water.

'No, no no' Brax exclaimed He loved his brother and Georgia but there was no way they were moving back in even if it was just for a little while.

'This is where you say "_Thankyou Georgia and Heath for being so helpful and considerate"' _Georgia said sarcastically

'Mate, it was just an offer. If you say no, it's cool. We were just trying to help' Heath added

Brax smirked 'Well then, no.' he muttered

Charlie laughed 'Yeah Thankyou both for the offer, it's so kind but I'm sure Brax and I will be ok on our own'

'Alright' Georgia nodded; she ate a fork full of vegetables and shrugged.

They ate in silence for a moment.

'So, how is the bitchy sister of your going? I haven't heard about what's going on with Tegan in forever' Charlie exclaimed

Georgia's eyes widened 'I never mentioned the bitch' she said slowly, her forke dropping from her hand in shock

'That's right; Georgia nor I or Brax ever mentioned the bitch, you must have remembered her yourself' Heath cried, a grin spilt over his face

'Hey, the memory is coming back, oh my god!' Ruby giggled

Charlie felt tears lace her eyes, her mind had suddenly remembered Tegan being a bitchy sister to Georgia but that was all. It was still hope though, It gave everyone hope that she was improving and that her memory was coming back. Brax carefully pulled Charlie's body into his arms for a hug. He felt her body's warmth and was tempted to place a kiss on her neck, not now though. It wouldn't be right.

'I'm so proud that you are slowly remembering' Brax whispered into her ear. His breath tickled her skin and she felt her mouth turn up into a smile. Charlie's memory may still be blocking out anything and everything to-do with Brax but she was slowly beginning to realize why she must have fallen in love with him. Charlie knew that she would have to hold on to him for as long as it would take for her memory to come back.

She slowly pulled away from the hug and faced the table. The 5 of them were all full of smiles and grins.

'So, do you remember anything else? Anything else about me?' Georgia asked eagerly

Charlie laughed nervously 'Nothing yet, It's still really blurry.'

'Probably best, a lot of my previous moments are probably better off being forgotten' Georgia joked

'Nah' Brax murmered 'I want you to remember everything' he smiled at Charlie.

.

.

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**Slowly the memory is coming back! YAY, review more = more quicker updates. I love hearing about what you like and what you enjoyed, I'm sorry if this chapter was a bit shorter than usual I will try and make the next ones longer! Xoxox Thankyou for reading and for your beautiful reviews.**


	9. Cheating on You with You

**I updated quite quickly today! my entire day was free so I decided to continue this chapter**

**Thankyou for your beautiful reviews! Xoxo we are nearly at the 100 mark!**

**You all are so amazing for sticking to this story!**

**This chapter is going to continue on the same night as the previous chapter, (a bit later in the evening)**

**I'm not very happy with Brax's current storyline on Australian TV hopefully my fanfic can relive the romance that their televised one should have continued into!**

**.**

Dinner ended an hour later. Ruby had gone over to Xavier's house since she hadn't spent anytime with her friends in the last couple of weeks. Georgia and Heath were sitting on the couch watching episodes of Reality TV and Charlie was helping Brax wash-up in the kitchen. Dessert had not been served yet; Georgia insisted that they had to wait another hour until it could be eaten.

Brax continued to soak the plates in the dishwater, he could see Charlie out of the corner of his eye- she was drying up all the plates. Brax watched as she carefully lifted up a stack of white china plates off the bench-top and hovered in front of all the cupboards- would she know where to put them? Brax remained silent but kept his eyes glued to Charlie as she remained still. Her arm suddenly reached forward and she swung open a cupboard. It was the right one; there was already a stack of plates resting there. Charlie slid the plates onto the shelf and she twisted back around to Brax who was still staring at her. 'Lucky guess' She smiled lightly before grabbing the tea towel and continuing to dry the wet crockery.

Brax knew that it was petty but for a moment he had thought that Charlie had remembered more of her memory since she had remembered where to put the plates but as Charlie said 'Lucky Guess' …anyone could have gotten it right.

He passed her a soaking wet glass and for a moment he felt her hand rub past his arm, Brax's hand tensed at the feeling of her warm skin on his. Charlie grabbed the glass and moved her hand away. Brax let out a deep breath that he had subconsciously been holding in and he pulled the plug out of the sink allowing the soapy water to swirl out of the drain. 'All done' Brax smiled at Charlie

'Yeah, can you put the glasses away? I'm just going to wipe up the bench' Charlie replied, she pushed the glasses towards Brax and began to wipe down the table. Brax nodded and quickly put the glasses away in a cupboard next to the sink.

'So…' Brax said awkwardly, his hands linked casually in the pockets of his jeans.

'So…' Charlie repeated, she giggled and glanced up at Brax casually;

'We can either watch _Keeping Up With The Kardashians _with Heath and G or…' Brax suggested

'We could try and get my goldfish memory improved by looking through photos?' Charlie suggested, her voice was strung with laughter and playfulness.

Brax bit his lower lip and nodded, his mouth slowly turned upwards into a smile and he led Charlie into their bedroom. Brax grabbed a big photobook and he hauled it into his arms. Charlie peered at the front cover; it was a vintage brown colour and had _Charlie, Brax, Heath & Me_ scrawled across it in a shiny black marker.

'Me? Who is me?' Charlie questioned

'Georgia, she made the album when she thought she was dying but even now she continues to add pictures in it. Infact….' Brax pushed open the book and pointed to a photo on the last page. 'She took a photo of me and you in the hospital' The image was a black and white photo of Brax lieing next to Charlie in her hospital bed, they were both asleep and their hands were intertwined and Brax had molded his body around her comatose form.

'This was taken only a couple of days ago' Brax added as Charlie continued to stare at the image. 'It's nice… in a totally creepy way' she laughed

'Mmm, well we can trust Georgia to take photo's of a person in a coma' Brax rolled his eyes and smirked.

The two of them walked out of the bedroom and into the lounge room, Heath and Georgia were still watching the television and were curled up together on the couch- they hardly noticed as Brax and Charlie slid onto the other couch and began to flick through the pages of the album.

Brax didn't notice at first but Charlie had slowly leant her body further into his, her arm was resting across Brax's leg and her fingers were daintily splayed around his knee.

Brax felt his cheeks turn crimson with blush as his mind explored the various scenarios involving Charlie's touch on his body.

'What are you guys doing?' Heath asked switching off the television, he pulled Georgia's body further across his lap until her head was nestled across his thighs and the rest of her body was curled across the remainder of the couch. Brax couldn't help but feel a surge of jealousy since he couldn't treat Charlie the way Heath was treating Georgia. Brax moved his gaze to the ground and felt his shoulders slump.

'We are looking through pictures to you know… try and get my memory back' Charlie responded, she briefly held up the photo album to show Heath the images they were looking at.

'Hey!' Georgia perked up, 'That picture is from the jet-skiing that we all did together' she grinned

Heath squinted his eyes to try and see the picture 'I can see your bra!' He teased Georgia, noticing the soaking t-shirt that she was donning in the photo; her pink bra was clearly visible. Brax peered at the photo and noticed that Charlie's lacy black bra was also visible in the photo, Brax couldn't help staring at her stunning figure that was obvious in the image. Charlie flicked her eyes up at Brax and she noticed what he was staring at. Charlie coughed subtly to distract his eyes from the picture. 'That was a fun day' Brax smiled as he flicked his head up and immediately turned to the next page of photos, his cheeks still fiery red with embarrassment from Charlie catching him staring at her soaking body in the previous picture. Charlie took a shaky breath as she scanned the rows of smiling images. She shut her eyes briefly; the entire situation was extremally overwhelming

'You ok?' Brax murmered

'Yeah, I don't know… It's just weird seeing myself in all these pictures that I don't remember ever being a part of' Charlie replied softly, she huddled her knee's up and rested her chin on them. Brax could tell that the whole "memory" thing was being tough on her so he closed the album and put it on the table.

'How about we eat dessert and all go around and tell our favorite memory with Charlie, no pictures just words' Brax turned to Charlie 'You can imagine it yourself' his voice was light and calming.

Charlie nodded and pushed her hair behind her ear. Georgia quickly rose from her position on the couch and collected the dessert from the kitchen.

'It's a pity Ruby had to leave because she is missing out on some dee-licious food' Georgia sung, she brought out a tray that had a massive white chocolate cheesecake presented on it.

'Where are the plates?' Heath asked noticing that there was nothing to eat the delicious looking dessert off.

'Cup your hands together like a bowl?' Georgia suggested shrugging dismissively 'But I did bring forks' She smiled, Heath rolled his eyes but reached forward to cut up enough slices for the four of them. They all reached out their hands and allowed Heath to place the sticky dessert in their cupped hands.

'Who wants to go first?" Brax asked taking a mouthful of cheesecake

'I will' Heath smiled, he made himself comfortable and placed a pillow behind his body 'I remember when Charlie went on that date with Tyler, he roped you into having dinner with him at Angelos and he had already planned what your children were going to be called' Heath laughed

Charlie groaned playfully 'Why did I go on a date with him?'

'We weren't telling anyone about our relationship and we both thought it would be good that someone finally took you out for a meal' Brax explained

'I think Tyler was cute' Georgia piped up

Both Heath and Brax scoffed.

'What did he look like?" Charlie asked curiously

'Brown hair, tan, surfy- really muscly, _really_ cute' Georgia exaggerated

'He wasn't _that _muscly' Brax rolled his eyes

'He sounds hot' Charlie laughed

'No, not hot. Hot not, not hot at all' Brax's mouth spat out a muddle of words

'Yeah, I reckon he was kind of lanky looking' Heath grimaced

'Sex-god' Georgia mouthed to Charlie with a suggestive wink

'All right, all right next story; Georgia your turn' Heath interrupted,

Georgia giggled and straightened her body up. 'Uhhm, I liked the morning before your wedding' She smiled

'Wasn't I sleeping…' Charlie said confused

Brax let out a chuckle 'No, the three of us went and got pizza for breakfast at around 1 in the morning' Brax added

Charlie's eyes widened with unexpectant shock. 'Oh god, why!'

'We were hungry' Georgia responded

Brax coughed 'Eh hem' He looked at Georgia mock sternly

'_I _was hungry' she corrected rolling her eyes and poking her tongue out at Brax.

'_It_ was fun; everything we did together was fun' Brax's voice was a whisper; he doubted anyone heard him but by the way Charlie squeezed his knee lightly- she must have. Suddenly Georgia and Heath left the room and wandered into the kitchen with the Cheesecake.

'What about you, what was your favorite moment that we had together?' Charlie asked Brax once they were alone

Brax shyly looked away 'I don't know...' he murmered, a small smile played over his lips mischievously

'Yes you do, come on tell me' Charlie giggled; she leant her body closer to Brax and attempted to catch his gaze.

'I' Brax took a shallow breath 'I liked the night I first saw you, you looked as if you wanted to shoot me in the face' Brax chuckled 'But, that was the time I knew that we were meant to be together. It was at Angelos bar, you were wearing a white dress and wow, you looked stunning. I couldn't take my eyes off you the whole night' Brax's voice softened 'you acted like you hated me but I knew that there was something between us

Charlie didn't know what to say, she felt so painful that none of these beautiful memories were still in her mind.

'When I remember all of this… I promise I will make it up to you' Charlie said lightly, she raised a hand and slowly grazed Brax's face. Somewhere in her heart she knew that she recognized his touch but it was still too vague. Brax smiled stiffly, 'Yeah...'

.

The night drew a curtain over the sky, Georgia and Heath left not long after. Brax yawned and stretched his arms in the air casually. 'I think that you need sleep more than I do' Charlie laughed from her position on the couch.

Brax smirked but nodded and rubbed his tired eyes.

'You sleep on the bed' Charlie insisted but Brax was already making himself comfortable on the other couch, he pulled a large blanket over his body and snuggled his body into the cushions 'The bed is yours' Brax nodded with a wink

'No, It's your bed, I feel bad' Charlie responded attempting to pull the heavy blanket away from Brax's body. Brax shook his head and harshly pulled the blanket back over his legs, Charlie wasn't expecting such force and she fell on top of Brax, her arms gently resting on his bare chest. Brax stared up at her; her eyes were wide and looking back at him. Charlie slowly leant her mouth closer to Brax, he felt his breathing quicken as her mouth paused millimeters away from his own. Just as Charlie attempted press her lips onto his, Brax turned his head and Charlie's lips brushed his cheek. She jolted up in surprise and scrambled off Brax's body

'Goodnight' Charlie muttered before quickly walking to the bedroom. Brax knew that if he hadn't turned his cheek, her lips would still be on his. They would be amidst a heavy make-out session maybe even leading to more but Brax made the decision not to.

The night ticked on but Brax couldn't get to sleep, he knew that he should talk to Charlie but the clock on his mobile flashed saying that it was 2:34 AM she would be asleep… Or not. Brax heard the floorboards creak and a sound of light footsteps echoed through the lounge room and into the kitchen. Brax slowly lifted his body off the couch and he wandered into the kitchen, which was dimly lit by the open fridge.

'You ok?' Brax asked softly, he noticed Charlie standing at the sink downing a glass of what looked like wine.

Charlie dropped the glass in the sink in fright. 'Shit' she muttered as the burgundy liquid splashed onto her hands. 'You scared me' Charlie told Brax as she wiped the sticky alcohol off her hands with a cloth

'I didn't mean to' Brax responded walking further into the kitchen he grabbed the bottle of apple juice from the fridge and downed a mouthful

'That's gross' Charlie laughed as Brax put the half empty apple juice back in the fridge

'You used to say that' Brax chuckled, remembering all the times that Charlie told him to use a glass.

The laughter slowly droned out and the atmosphere became quiet, nothing but the sounds of their breathing filled the air.

Charlie suddenly dropped her gaze to the floor 'Why did you pull away, when I tried to… you know… kiss you?' She asked shyly

Brax coughed and took a step away from Charlie 'You won't believe me' he muttered

'Try me' she responded, her eyes shooting up to stare at Brax

'In some way I felt like I was cheating…' he explained

'Cheating on who?' Charlie asked suspiciously, her words where embedded with confusion

'You' Brax breathed 'I feel like I'm cheating on the part of you that remembers me'

Charlie nodded but felt her eyes grow prickly with unexpected tears 'What happens if I never remember?' She asked

Brax shook his head 'I can't afford to think like that' he immediately snapped back

'Its true!' Charlie cried, tears began to fall down her cheeks 'You need to face the truth… that I may never remember any of the time we spent together' she wept

Brax slammed his fist on the counter 'you are already remembering! You remembered Tegan, you are improving! You can't give-up on yourself' Brax insisted

'I'm not giving up, I'm facing the truth' She cried, her body shook as heavy sobs escaped her mouth

Brax leant forward and put his hands on her shoulders, he moved a finger and wiped the tears off her cheeks.

'I love you and… And I just need to wait until you love me to' Brax whispered to her

Charlie stifled back tears and she nodded. 'I know'

.

The morning came quickly after both Brax and Charlie had gone back to sleep and Brax was woken by the sunlight that streamed through the glass windows. He peeled the blanket off his body and came to a stand.

'Good morning' Charlie purred with a smile, she walked out of the kitchen eating a red apple.

'Hey there' Brax murmered, he wiped his eyes rid of sleep before giving Charlie a hazy smile

'Georgia called before' Charlie told him before taking another small bite of her apple

'Yeah… what'd she want?' Brax asked

'She wanted to know whether we wanted to get breakfast with her this morning' Charlie explained

Brax groaned happily and perched his body on the armrest of the couch. 'We saw her less than 12 hours ago! She is my best friend but Georgia is like medicine, she is only safe if you take her in doses' he laughed

'I thought you would say that… so I told her that you are too hungover to see any sunlight this morning and that we are just going to eat breakfast here' Charlie giggled

'Its probably true' Brax squinted his eyes, his entire head throbbed with the early signs of a hangover

'We should enroll you in an Alcoholics Anonymous course, you little drunk!' Charlie joked as she hit his arm playfully

'Like you can talk!' Brax scoffed 'I saw you downing a glass of wine at around 2:30 this morning' he laughed, recalling the moment when he confronted Charlie earlier that morning in the kitchen.

Charlie didn't try to defend herself; she merely gave Brax a killer smile that made him weak at the knees. Charlie was slowly getting her memory back and Brax couldn't wait until it was all back.

'Come on, I'll make you breakfast' Charlie led Brax to the kitchen

'Yum' Brax smiled and he followed her lead

.

.

**Hey guys! I hope this chapter was ok! I have great things in store for the next one, so remember… Review! Review! Haha, I'll try and update soon **

**Have an amazing Easter Break! Xx You have all been patient with this story, first Charlie in a coma and now her memory is still slowly coming back but as I said earlier, next chapter… ;)**


	10. I Confess

**Hey there everyone! We made it over the 100 reviews mark, Thankyou to all of you for reviewing- it keeps me writing! You all said such lovely things 3 I got a couple of reviews and PM's asking about what's next for Heath and G, Don't worry I have it under control and their coming up story has something to-do with the early chapters of CHAX (my first fanfic before this sequel) - think about the reasons she initially left Heath all those years ago…. Ok ok, read and review 3**

**.**

Charlie returned to work the next day, she arrived at the station in the early morning but not early enough to avoid the staring, curious eyes of her coworkers.

'Hi Sargent Buckton' One of the officers greeted her warily 'I'm Officer Jack Wilkins, I work here…. In this station' his voice was awkward and slow

'She knows who you are, you dumbshit!' Georgia teased walking into the police station; she poked her tongue out at Jack before walking towards her office

'Well hello to you as well, Georgia' Jack smiled, Georgia flashed him a smile before entering her office and locking the door behind her; the officers at the police station all understood Georgia's often crude and sarcastic sense of Humour. He then turned to Charlie 'She loves me' He told her with a wink

Charlie chuckled 'I'm sure she does. But, Georgia was right. I remember everyone except for the riverboys and people introduced by them'

Jack smiled 'Good, that saves us from the awkward introductions'

Charlie rolled her eyes and grabbed the files from her folder. The police station was the one place she was able to be herself with no worries of whether there would be people she didn't remember. She knew all the officers here before she even met Brax so alike Ruby and other members of summer bay, her memory loss was unaffected to them.

Charlie sorted through her pile off papers, all her time in hospital meant that she was very behind in the paperwork department of her job. It was almost relaxing to be at work, it was one of the few places that Charlie recognized, remembered and felt comfortable being in.

The day was very calm, no major issues where required. Merely drunken men claiming that their cars were stolen when their car-keys were hanging out of their pockets.

Charlie's brain was growing bored as she signed her name on what seemed like the millionth form. She signed her signature on another paper before leaning back in her chair and attempting to shut her eyes to gain a moment of peace. Or not.

Her office door swung open. 'Hey Charlie, Darryl Braxton would like to visit you… Is that ok?' Jack asked

Charlie's eyes sprung open and she shook her head out of her dreaming daze. 'Uh, sure…' she smiled

Jack nodded and left her doorway. Brax's head poked in the room, he was smiling cheekily and holding a paper bag in front of his body. 'Hey there, how are you doing?' Brax asked as he slid his body further into her office

'Uh so much work to do' she groaned, Charlie flicked the pile of papers resting on the corner of her desk

'Just get Georgia to do it for you, It'll piss her off' Brax teased with a wink

'Nah, I'll be ok… I'm just hungry' Charlie explained, that morning she had downed 3 coffee's and a piece of sugarless gum but no food.

Brax gave Charlie a crooked smile before putting the paper bag on the table.

Charlie observed the brown bag curiously 'What is it?'

'I had nothing to do this morning… so I decided to make you lunch' Brax smiled, slightly embarrassed at the somewhat cheesiness of his actions.

Charlie blushed at his kindness and she peeled the bag open revealing a fresh sandwich, fruit salad and a chocolate bar. 'You are a saint!' she licked her lips and immediately got the sandwich out of the bag 'You didn't have to bring me lunch though' Charlie paused before taking a bite of the fresh bread

Brax nodded and wiped his hand across her table 'I know but I wanted to' His eyes flickered up and he stared at her beautiful face.

Charlie ate the sandwich in silence, her lips were devouring every mouthful and she watched Brax as he sat on the chair motionless.

'Is everything ok?' Charlie asked him, her piercing stare interrupted his daydream

'Mmm, I have to go' Brax stood up. Charlie rose in uncertainty; she wasn't expecting him to have to leave so soon.

'Do you have to?' Charlie asked, eagerly hoping his answer would be No.

Brax nodded and smiled grimly, he reached out a hand as if to touch Charlie or reach for a hug but his hand froze with nerves and it immediately dropped back to his side 'Yeah, I said I'd give Georgia some food' He shook the other paper bag in his hand 'Plus, I have work in 15 minutes… sorry'

Charlie nodded and slowly returned to her seat 'Ok sure, sure' Somewhere in her mind it was telling her that she should want him to stay and that she felt lonely without him with her, It was somewhat true to her conscious mind- although her mind was clueless about Brax, her heart was telling her that he was safe and that she should try to love him back. Charlie's eyes followed Brax as he left the room, some part of her brain was forcing her to tell him to come back and to stay with her but the confusion and unknown was to overwhelming.

.

'Detective C' Brax winked as he pushed open Georgia's office door

Georgia sat up in her chair 'Hey' she smiled, Brax slid into the chair opposite her desk and he put his feet up on the corner of her desk.

'You know what I figured out?' Georgia laughed, baiting Brax into her strange stories

'Enlighten me?' He chuckled

'Charlie's memory is kind of like Swiss cheese, its all holey and some bits are missing… like the cheese' Georgia explained, she was obviously excited by her discovery of common factors between cheese and her friends memory

'That is horrible' Brax laughed

Georgia shrugged and nodded towards the paper bag in Brax's hand 'What is that?' she asked curiously

'I brought you food' Brax threw the paper bag into Georgia's expecting hands. She immediately opened the bag and sorted through the food, her thin hands grabbed hold of the salad and she began to open the container up.

'I never would have thought you would pick the salad' Brax laughed with a smirk

'Its called being healthy' she rolled her eyes; Brax stifled a laugh and grabbed the sandwich out of her brown bag. Georgia watched as he fiddled around with the bread

'Ok, baby. Don't get me wrong- I love you and I love your _perky_ visits but…why are you sitting in here with me when you could be in there with her' She nodded towards the wall dividing her own and Charlie's office

Brax pretended he didn't hear Georgia, he continued to eat the sandwich. Georgia pegged a piece of cucumber at his face 'Oy! Darryl, I'm talking to you'

Brax rubbed his head where the cucumber had hit him and he flicked his eyes to meet Georgia 'I don't know, whenever I'm around Charlie I get scared that I'm not going to be able to control myself. I want to be with her and touch her but..' Brax took a heavy breath 'I feel like I have to restrict myself and…. When its just me and her…alone together in a room, I… I can't handle my feelings, I can't mask the way I feel about her' Brax explained

Georgia sat still for a moment; she crunched a piece of lettuce between her teeth in the silence of her office. 'I think that you need to talk to Charlie, tell her exactly what you just told me'

A look of nervousness flew over his face 'I, uh no. I want to stay with you' Brax bluffed, he didn't want to talk to Charlie right now- It was to hard.

Georgia smirked and put her legs up on her desk 'Well then, we will go together'

'Huh?' Brax pretended he didn't understand

'You and I shall talk to Charlie together' Georgia lied, she fully intended on forcing Brax to face up to Charlie on his own

Brax rolled his eyes but finally gave in. He stood up and helped Georgia off her seat and the two of them walked towards Charlie's office.

Georgia knew that Brax needed to talk to Charlie alone, she needed some way of escaping having to sit in with Brax and Charlie's conversation.

'Uh.. Jack!' Georgia called out, noticing the handsome policeman standing behind the desk in the main room of the station

'Uh, how can I help you Detective C?' He asked slowly

Brax stopped in front of Charlie's office door and stared at Georgia, he didn't want to deal with his feelings and if Georgia came into Charlie's office as well it meant he wouldn't have to.

'Don't you have a _thing you_ need me to do' Georgia egged to Jack, she hoped his instincts would catch onto her plan

'Uh… thing?' Jack asked confused

'Yeah Georgia, what thing? You are coming with me' Brax tugged Georgia's arm upto Charlie's office door

'I can't go visit Charlie because _Jack _needs me to do a thing' Georgia explained, attempting to bluff over her true intentions

'Uh yeah, Its true. Georgie is helping me with an… um… a… uhhm an investigation' Jack finally caught onto the plan.

'Georgia?' Brax whispered harshly, she said that she would go visit Charlie with him.

'Duty calls Brax, You will be fine!' Georgia grinned before kissing the air next to his cheek. She knocked on Charlie's office door for Brax and shoved him into the office before quickly escaping the scene and over to Jack who was laughing- obviously finding the whole situation hilarious.

.

Charlie looked up from her desk; she wasn't expecting to see Brax.

'Hey… I thought you had to go to work' Charlie said confused, she dropped her pen on the table

Brax sighed and lowered his body into the seat opposite Charlie's desk.

'Nah, I don't…' he admitted, Brax had lied earlier. He felt like it was the only way to get out of Charlie's office before, It felt like ages since Brax had been able to touch Charlie and his entire body was craving the feeling of her skin against his own but… he knew with her fragile state of mind the ball was in Charlie's playing field. It was up to her, every development in their relationship was up to her- Brax couldn't push Charlie into anything but he couldn't just give-up either. In simpler terms, he had left her office earlier because Brax was losing control over himself and he was losing hope that Charlie would ever remember their love.

'I just want to talk' Brax said bravely, his hands were hidden in his lap

'Oh' Charlie slid away from her table 'Is everything ok?'

'Yeah, I just think we haven't talked about… you know…us in a while and your memory' Brax admitted, he glanced up at Charlie.

'Yeah, I guess… I think I am improving though' Charlie smiled; she moved her chair closer to Brax's.

'Really? Have you gotten any memories back?' He asked hopefully, Brax gave a wide smile at her which made Charlie's cheeks blush scarlet 'No, not really… It's more… emotional' Charlie murmered nervously

'How do you mean?' Brax asked, his body squirmed in his seat

'I'm feeling things. I feel differently about people…. About you' Charlie peered up at Brax nervously, she couldn't believe what she was admitting to him. Brax felt his throat choke up, Charlie felt differently about him? What was she feeling?

'What do you feel… about me?' Brax asked lightly, he could hardly raise his eyes up to her own as his entire body was consumed with nerves.

'I'm beginning to fall for you' she whispered 'Or at least remember what I felt for you'

Brax felt his body relax, although Charlie didn't remember any of the moments they shared together she was beginning to remember the love she felt for Brax and that was probably the most important.

'So, you are beginning to remember that you love me?' Brax reassured himself

Charlie felt tears of happiness glaze her eyes and she nodded at Brax, she gave him a smile, her lips firmly closed together. Charlie leant over to Brax, she drifted her head towards his own face, and for a moment she was tempted to place a kiss on his encouraging lips but instead she moved her face and placed a chaste kiss onto Brax's cheek. She felt the warmth of his skin underneath her lips and for a moment Charlie was tempted not to pull away, she was tempted to just allow her lips to remain against Brax's skin.

Brax subconsciously released a deep breath that he had been holding in. He silently stood from his chair; Brax carefully pushed a strand of hair behind Charlie's ear before backing away to the door. 'I'll see you later' he whispered before leaving the room.

Charlie watched as Brax slammed her office door shut, the moment Brax left the office, she covered her face with her shaking hands and leant back into the comforts of the chair.

Charlie wasn't relieved about anything that had just happened, she had lied to Brax.

What she told him before wasn't entirely true, Charlie had actually recovered **more** memories… but none of which were about Brax. She had fully remembered Georgia, everything from her cancer to the adoption of Amber; it was as if she had never forgotten Georgia at all. Though that was true, Charlie never lied to him about her feelings and emotions. She was completely honest when she admitted that her love for Brax was coming back. But, how could she tell the man who loved her and promised to wait for her memory to come back that she had remembered someone else first? Charlie would had chosen to remember everything about Brax if she could have, but her recovering memory was not on a choosing basis, it was luck… plain god damn luck.

Suddenly her office door flung open and Georgia was leaning against the doorframe.

'How did your chat with Brax go?' she asked, a cheeky grin playing over her lips;

Charlie didn't respond. She couldn't take her eyes away from Georgia, even though she had finally remembered Georgia, she felt as though she was seeing her for the first time in ages.

'What?' Georgia giggled nervously and self-consciously as Charlie's teary eyes remained staring at Georgia.

'I remember you' Charlie whispered happily, tears of happiness spilt over her eyelids and they slid down her cheeks.

Georgia's eyes widened in shock 'Holy f***!' she laughed happily. Georgia ran over to Charlie and grabbed her in an excited hug. Her arms clamped around Georgia's skinny body as she stood from her chair. 'This is amazing, but I can't believe Brax didn't mention it to me when he passed me outside before' Georgia gushed as she released Charlie from her hug.

Charlie's eyes immediately darted to the floor 'its because, I… I didn't tell Brax' she muttered

'Woahh, uh why?' Georgia asked confused, her arms immediately crossed over her chest defensively.

'How could I tell him?' her voice wavered with oncoming tears 'How could I tell the man who hopes and prays that I am going to remember him… that I remembered someone else' Charlie cried, she wiped the tears off her cheeks before trying to wipe the smudged eyeliner away from her eyes

'This will give Brax hope! This will give Brax hope that you will remember him soon' Georgia encouraged soothingly as she passed Charlie a tissue.

'No, no… no we are not telling Brax that I remember you, don't tell him a thing. He can't know' Charlie stated firmly

'To late' a voice whispered harshly interrupting the girl's conversation, Charlie immediately turned around and saw Brax standing in the doorway. 'I forgot my phone' he pointed to the iPhone lying on the corner of Charlie's desk.

'Brax' Charlie's voice broke; she took a step closer to his body and reached out a hand to comfort him.

'Don't touch me' he scowled

'How much did you hear?' Georgia asked slowly

'Every single word' Brax snapped, he quickly snagged his phone off her desk before turning to leave 'You know Georgia was right, if you just told me in the first place I would be fine with it. I would have been stoked that your memory was improving, You may think I'm a jealous jerk Charlie' Brax spat at her 'But, I was more concerned about you and I wanted you to recover your memory for yourself… not for me. ' Brax added, his voice was threaded with pain and hurt

Charlie tried to take a step closer to Brax but he immediately retreated backwards towards the door. 'Tell Heath I am going to be at my place If he wants to come by for a beer' Brax added to Georgia 'I'll see you later G' his voice remained quiet and quite obviously sad.

'Brax, please-' Charlie insisted, she tried to get him to listen to her so that she could explain

'Have a nice afternoon Sergeant Buckton' he told her, there was no love or emotion in his voice. Brax quickly left the office and drove home.

'I've ruined this' Charlie looked back at Georgia

'He put all his love and faith into you, the least you could have done is told him the truth' Georgia told Charlie before wandering towards the doorway

'Wait. Are you.. Are you pissed with me?' Charlie asked

Georgia peered back at Charlie over her shoulder 'I don't know'

.

Brax walked into the front door of his house, he immediately grabbed a cold beer from the fridge and snapped it open. Brax had been nothing short of the perfect guy today, he had made his wifeish/girlfriend/fiancé/ and girl (pause) friend lunch, and he had listened to Charlie when she explained her feelings. Brax had done nothing wrong that day; he even admitted his own problems yet the end of the day still came with pain and betrayal.

Brax took a long swig of the beer and allowed the alcohol to slide down his throat. All he wanted was for Charlie to remember him, but it seemed she was starting to remember everyone except for him. Maybe it was a sign that he wasn't supposed to be in her life Brax thought to himself, maybe their love wasn't worth waiting for, maybe Charlie didn't love him?

Brax continued to drown himself in a 6-pack of beer.

'Brax! Mate' Heath walked through the open front door and he observed Brax's drunken self.

'Brother!' Brax called out, he raised a beer bottle in his hand and threw it into Heath's outstretched hand.

Heath cautiously approached the couch and he sat on the other side. 'So, what are we doing?' Heath asked tapping the glass bottle

'Drinking beer' Brax slurred

'Oh nah!' Heath scoffed sarcastically, he took a swig of his own beverage 'I mean, where is Charlie?'

'I don't care' Brax muttered

He did care though. He cared too much.

.

.

**How was that? ;) haha, I know it must feel like this is taking forever but be patient because as you can see, everything is changing and developing and the next chapter will have a pleasant surprise! Please review, as I would love to hear how you like this chapter xxxx**

**I know that this chapter may have been somewhat confusing as the conversations where shifting from room to room and person to person. I hope it wasn't that bad! haha**


	11. Liar Liar

**Hey guys! Thankyou for all your beautiful reviews xoxo you are all amazing and I appreciate you taking the time to review each chapter, its lovely!**

**Sorry for the late update, I have been swamped with work over the Easter break!**

**I'm hoping that this chapter will show a lot of friendships (some you know and a few that are less explored...) so, lets get going xxx**

**Trust me, you will like this chapter! (I hope)**

.

.

Heath had left Brax's house after a few hours (and more than a few beers) he decided that dealing with Brax was more of a job for his wife.

Brax was still lieing across the couch, he was clutching the neck of a beer bottle and swinging it around in his hand, the mixture sloshed around inside the glass bottle and licked the rim. Brax was crushed, he had tried so hard to show Charlie that he cared, he had tried so hard to show her that he would wait and all Brax had wanted in return was honesty and even that had been taken away. Charlie hadn't tried to call or contact Brax since their confrontation- it was probably good because Brax wasn't going to open the door for her or anyone for that matter and he was in the mainframe for drinking beer not answering calls.

A small fist hit on his front door, a loud banging echoed into the lounge room and Brax groaned. '***k off' he slurred before taking another swig of his beer

The harsh knocking continued 'Open the door Brax or I will kick it down!'

Brax recognized Georgia's voice 'I said Piss off Georgie!' he called out

Georgia continued to pummel her fist onto the front door; it had turned red from the continuous trauma to her hand from knocking and knocking. 'Open the door baby or its coming down' she called out, her faced was pressed up against the wooden door

'I'll call the cops!' Brax cried, he cracked the lid off another beer and slammed it onto the table

'I _am _the cops!' Georgia quickly replied 'Now, open the door or I will kick it off its hinges'

Brax didn't reply, he thought that if he just ignored her, she would eventually get the message and go away. He must have forgotten that this was _Georgia,_ there was no way that she would leave him alone.

She took a breath and stepped away from the door, Georgia braced herself before running upto the door with her left foot propelling into the hardwood, with a crash the door flew open and onto the floor. She took a deep breath and walked over the door into the room with Brax. His eyes were still glued to the door- still shocked that she had actually kicked it down.

'You kicked my bloody door down!' He exclaimed breathlessly

Georgia shrugged dismissively and took a seat next to Brax on the couch 'You wouldn't open the door' she defended herself casually, she reached out and took a swig of Brax's already opened beer bottle before relaxing into the couch

'You kicked my door down!' Brax exclaimed even louder, his eyes still wide with shock

'Babe, chill I can fix it' Georgia ' smirked

Brax turned his head to face Georgia 'you, are, crazy! You, kicked, my, bloody, door, down' He repeated, his head still spinning in disbelief

Georgia pouted sweetly and lifted her thin legs over Brax's lap 'No hard feelings?'

Brax was already halfway drunk so he reluctantly nodded. 'You are buying me a new door' he muttered before grabbing his beer bottle out of Georgia's clutch.

'So, what's going on?" Georgia asked curiously, she tugged the beer back out of Brax's hand- he had way to much to drink and she wasn't in the mood for talking to his unconscious body so it was probably best that he stopped now.

'Nothing' Brax sighed

'Baby, I know that you are pissed with me but-' Georgia began

'No, no' Brax murmered 'Not you, Charlie' he corrected

'Ok but, she was trying to protect you' Georgia exclaimed

'She lied to me'

'Yeah ok, she lied to you. Charlie lied to you _because _she loves you' Georgia replied, she slid closer to Brax and squeezed his hand comfortingly

Brax warily lifted his gaze and he stared out the open space (where the front door had been). 'No' his voice echoed lightly 'She doesn't love me, she doesn't want me, she doesn't even remember me…' Brax stifled back tears

Georgia felt her entire body tighten as she heard the painfully vulnerable words escape his lips.

Georgia captured Brax in a heavy hug; she pulled his body into her slight arms and leant into his figure.

'She didn't want to tell you that she remembered me because she wanted to remember you first… she wanted to remember you before everything else in the entire world…' Georgia paused and glanced up at Brax's expressionless face 'and as much as it sucks that she lied to you… I think that you know its only because she didn't want to hurt you' Georgia whispered into Brax's ear

Brax slowly nodded and he sighed before pulling away from her grasp. 'Yeah, I know that… I just… all I wanted was for her to be honest with me but Charlie couldn't help lieing'

'I lie! Everyone lies' Georgia grinned, attempting to lighten the situation

Brax smirked 'Oh yeah?' he gave her a lopsided grin

'Yeah, I lied yesterday when I said I liked your shirt' she winked

Brax scoffed 'Oh ok, well I lied when I said I liked that pizza that you made me on my 14th birthday' Brax attempted to remember a lie he had told her

'That was a great pizza!' she defended while poking Brax in the ribs lightly 'Ok, well I lied to Heath yesterday' she giggled

Brax lifted Georgia's legs back across his lap 'What'd you say?' he asked curiously, a cheeky smile playing over his lips

'I told him that we had run out of beer when he asked for one but… I actually just stashed them away and drank them myself' She admitted

Brax chuckled to himself 'Well, us two were always bound to be the drunks' he nudged her side. Georgia smiled to herself and snuggled into Brax's body. It was amazing that the two of them had remained such close friends even through so much had happened, it just proved that all friendship was one of the strongest relationships of them all.

.

Charlie sat on a chair in the diner, she stirred her banana milkshake mindlessly and her mobile sat in front of her, Charlie was waiting for some sort of sign that Brax had forgiven her.

Suddenly she felt a figure come to stand behind her seat. 'Charlie, Hey! My name is Heath' Heath joked, he slid into the seat opposite her as Charlie rolled her eyes at his petty joke

'That wasn't funny' she stifled a giggle 'You should leave the humor to Georgia'

Heath chuckled and nodded in defeat.

'So, why are you here?" Charlie asked, she took a sip of her milkshake

'I think that the question should be, what are _you _doing here?' Heath asked slyly, he leant his elbows on the small café table in-between their bodies and raised an eyebrow

'I'm drinking my banana shake' Charlie responded innocently, she nodded towards the fluero milky drink and widened her eyes

''Yeah… all right. But, why are you alone?"

'I'm not. You are with me' Charlie responded smartly, she smiled at Heath smugly and bit her straw between her teeth

'Charlie! Why isn't Brax or Charlie or even Ruby with you?' Heath asked directly

'Ruby is at school' Charlie replied obviously 'But, Brax is pissed with me and I think Georgia is with him'

Heath nodded and stroked his imaginary beard 'Ah yes. The code of friendship, Georgia and Brax are a rare breed' Heath spoke in a mock wise-man voice

'Yeah, I am kind of jealous of their friendship at times' Charlie admitted

Heath snorted 'Don't be!' He laughed 'They fight like brother and sister and call each other _babe, _and _baby _more than a married couple on their honeymoon!' Heath laughed

Charlie couldn't help but join in- he was actually quite witty; she was beginning to see Heath in a different light.

'I just want to see Brax and explain that what he heard was all a misunderstanding' Charlie exclaimed

Heath nodded before giving Charlie a confused face 'Sorry but I'm confused… what did he hear?'

Charlie sighed 'He overheard me telling Georgia that I remember her… and I lied to Brax earlier, telling him that I didn't'

Heath's eyes widened with excitement 'Wow! So, do you remember me?'

'Its kind of confusing, I remember that Georgia is married to a riverboy and that Brax is your brother but for some reason my mind is blocking out all the details about both of you… especially Brax' Charlie explained

'Just go knock on the front door and walk in the house and tell Brax that you are sorry, it's the only way things will get fixed… you can't skirt around an issue, it needs to be faced head on' Heath offered his advice

Charlie reluctantly nodded 'Yeah, ok… I will'

Heath grinned, obviously chuffed that he had been able to offer some somewhat helpful advice

'Thanks for your help, it was nice of you to keep me company' Charlie smiled; she was glad that someone had wanted to see her.

Suddenly Heath's grin broke into a gritty nervous smile 'Ok, I lied as well.' He admitted 'I had a secret agenda; I came here to see if you could look after Amber for an hour? I have a shift at Angelos and I don't want her to be alone the whole time' Heath asked persuasively, his nervous glance bolted around the diner

Charlie let out a loud laugh and she combed her hands through her loose hair 'I should had known you weren't just here for a chat!' she said in a mock angry voice

Heath shrugged and gave Charlie a sideways look 'So… is that a yes?'

Charlie shook her head and chuckled 'Sure, I'll head over to your house now'

Charlie said goodbye to Heath and walked into the car park before heading over to their house.

She parked in Heath and Georgia's driveway and glanced at the brick house and the enchanting vines that had crawled a rim around the windows. She stepped out of the car and walked up to the front door, it felt quite unusual going to mind Amber- this would be the first time they had actually talked since Charlie had woken up from the coma, so although they knew each other quite well, Charlie still felt unsure about looking after Amber.

Suddenly the front door of the house shot open and a young girl stood in the doorway with a big grin and her hair strung loosely over her shoulders. Amber.

'Charlie!' Amber grinned; she waved her arm happily and skipped down the path into Charlie's unexpectant arms.

Charlie's tense arms relaxed around Amber's body, it felt nice to have someone instigate a hug. Charlie felt Amber breathe against her chest.

'How are you?" Charlie asked as she broke away from the hug.

'Bored' Amber rolled her eyes 'Dad said that I have to finish my homework' she rolled her eyes but let a small smile form over her face.

Charlie began to walk into the house with Amber 'Oh yeah? Well, since it's just us girls for an hour I think we could have a little homework break- hang on. Why aren't you at school?'

Amber walked into the lounge room and snuggled into the corner of the couch 'I have the flu, _non-contagious_ but Mum says I should get better before going back'

Charlie nodded 'Oh, well how about we do something fun?'

Amber nodded, her entire body shook at the force and Charlie felt the couch vibrate under her body. She stifled a laugh 'What would you like to do?'

Amber's eyes glassed over as she tried to think up something to do

'Can we watch a movie?' Amber suddenly asked nodding towards the large plasma screen television on the wall opposite the couch

'Alright, what do you want to watch?"

'You pick, something Disney' Amber replied

Charlie couldn't remember the last time she actually _thought _about a Disney movie let alone watched one. All she could think of was movies with princesses, talking animals that had eyes bigger than their heads and princes that were perfect in every way.

'How about Ariel' Charlie suggested as she crossed her legs on the couch

Amber nodded 'I think that that movie lies a lot'

'What? Mermaids are real!' Charlie joked

Amber squirmed in her seat uncomfortably 'I mean, everyone lies in it. The dad lies to Ariel but he thinks he is protecting her'

Charlie glanced at Amber; she was surprised that such smart comments had come from such a young girl

'Well maybe he was just trying to protect her. The dad never wanted to hurt her feelings' Charlie realized how similar it sounded to her confrontation with Brax

'Its not protecting if its lieing' Amber said simply and Charlie knew that she was right, even though she had wanted to protect Brax and keep him in the safe side of things, she shouldn't have lied to Brax. He had been perfect to her, so pressure or anything negative and the one time that Charlie had needed to return his graciousness by being honest, she lied.

.

Georgia stood up from Brax's couch 'Shit, its like 3:00' she noticed the time on her iPhone

'So what?' Brax asked, he began to pick up all the empty beer bottles and throw them in the bin

'I haven't organized what we are having for dinner yet' she murmered while picking her bag up and swinging it over her shoulder

'Me neither' Brax admitted with a laugh

'Well how about we make a deal?' Georgia asked, a smug smile played over her lips

'What type of deal detective?" Brax asked suspiciously

'I'll organize you dinner on one condition…' Georgia began slyly

'I'm not eating take-away burritos' Brax quickly interrupted remembering Georgia's childhood food crave

'I'm over them now. You just have to eat dinner with Charlie'

'No'

'Yes'

'No'

'Yes'

'No'

'No?'

'Yes'

'Yes!" Georgia grinned; she had tricked Brax into agreeing with her, before he could change his mind she quickly ran out the door (or where the door had been before Georgia had been).

'See you at 7! I'll buy you a door!' Georgia lightly kicked the wooden door that was lieing in the entrance of the house.

Brax grumbled to himself, he was not keen on sharing a dinner with Charlie. All he could think of was awkward silences and angry outbursts. Brax had tried to forgive Charlie but he still couldn't handle the consuming pain that he felt now that he knew she had lied. Brax also felt guiltily jealous, he was jealous that everyone else was in Charlie's mind as if they never left but he was still a sketchy drawing, no colour or details- Brax had shown Charlie the most dependence, love and pure support so it hurt him to know that all his actions weren't helping her recover any information directly related to him.

Brax rose from the couch and wandered into the hallway; he found the cupboards hidden within the walls. Brax pulled a large sheet out, the bundles of material spilt over his arms and he heaved the colourful cotton towards the front doorway. Since Georgia had knocked the door down there was a constant salty breeze that was whipping through the open space. Brax would hang the sheet up until Georgia bought him a new door. He reached his arms up and placed the corner of the fabric above the doorframe, Brax grabbed a thumbtack and stabbed it through the sheet and into the plaster of the wall, he did the same to the other corner until their front doorway was now imitating a homeless person shelter with a tacky sheet instead of a normal door. Brax quickly grabbed his mobile out of his pocket and he sent a quick text to Georgia

**TO: GEORGIA**

**BUY ME A NEW FRONT DOOR. NOW.**

Around two hours later, Georgia had dropped off a massive feast of food to Brax's house and she had set a romantic table for two people. Brax wasn't sure how he felt about the candles and roses that flooded the intimate table- he didn't want Charlie to think that he had forgiven her just yet; their was still confusion, anger and sadness bubbling in his body.

Charlie was shocked when she got the message sent to her phone from Georgia; it said that Brax wanted her to come over for a dinner date- just the two of them. Charlie had her hopes up, she believed that he must have forgiven her if he was inviting her over for dinner, she may have been more wary if they were sharing the meal with Heath and Georgia as well but if it was just the two of them, she felt her heart flutter as the heavy feeling of guilt escaped her stomach- little did Charlie know, Brax wasn't forgiving her yet. Grudges are a Braxton thing.

Charlie realized that all her clothes were at Brax's house so she wouldn't be able to arrive for the dinner looking sexy and beautiful if she were still in her police uniform. Charlie decided to just borrow something of Georgia's- she was still at their house looking after Amber but Georgia had just walked through the front door.

'Hey beautiful' Georgia smiled at Amber who immediately sprang off the couch and gave her mum a hug 'Hey Charlie, shouldn't you be at Brax's for dinner?' Georgia asked Charlie curiously, her body still in a firm hug with Amber.

'Yeah, I wanted to know whether I could borrow something to wear since my stuff is all at Brax's'

Georgia nodded as Amber released the hug and walked into her bedroom.

'Sure, what were you thinking? Major slut?' Georgia joked with a teasing wink, she perched herself on the couch next to Charlie as she waited for an answer

'Something… nice, I just want to look nice. Since, he has forgiven me I don't want to look like a complete slag' Charlie responded with a chuckle.

'Forgiven you?' Georgia asked quickly, she had practically forced Brax to commit to the dinner with Charlie and he only agreed because Georgia paid for the food- the last time they talked there was no forgiveness in the air.

'Yeah, well I figured that since Brax invited me, he must have realized that I was only trying to protect him when I lied' Charlie explained with a wide grin

Georgia nodded but dodged Charlie's eye contact, she knew that that wasn't true and Charlie would get a rude surprise when Brax was nothing but blatantly rude to her when she arrived.

'Well, lets get you glammed up' Georgia forced a smile before Charlie could sense that something was wrong

Charlie rose from the couch and followed Georgia into her closet. After much deliberation and various trial outfits, Charlie finally found an outfit to wear, it was a short black dress- since Georgia's body was a little bit thinner than Charlie's, the black dress hugged her curves and fit body extremally well, the tightness merely added to how attractive Charlie appeared.

Charlie looked at herself in the mirror, she felt amazing- the black dress looked fabulous against her long tan legs.

'My clothes look hot!" Georgia laughed with a wink as she observed Charlie.

Heath suddenly walked into the room, he stopped in his tracks when he saw Charlie. 'Wow Buckton! You look good' he breathed

'She does' Georgia nodded

'I do' Charlie agreed with a childish squeal, she was excited to show-off her outfit to Brax

.

Brax waited in his house, he sat on the couch watching the door curtain and waiting for Charlie to arrive. Brax didn't know how to react when she came, he was still angry with her but underneath that passing anger, Brax still loved Charlie and part of him was slowly beginning to accept that he should forgive and forget.

'Uh, I'd knock on the door… but you don't have one' A shaky voice suddenly called out

Brax leaped off the couch, he suddenly felt nervous; did he look ok? Was his hair ok? Wait, why did it matter?

'Come in… just uh, push past the curtain' Brax instructed lightly. He watched as a figure passed around the cotton sheet, Brax gasped and felt his threat tighten as Charlie entered the room. Brax felt all his anger dissolve, Charlie looked gorgeous.

'You look… stunning' he breathed

Brax felt a smile play over his lips as he saw crimson blush ride up her cheeks from his compliment, he felt honored that his words could have such an effect on her. Brax watched as Charlie slowly took a seat on his couch, she looked so unsure of the situation since neither of them were saying anything.

'Why... I mean… what happened to your door?' she stumbled over her words nervously

'Uhhm, Georgia kicked it down' Brax muttered, he quickly glanced at his watch before sighing and he moved his gaze back to Charlie who was now picking at her nails and fidgeting in awkwardness. Why was it so strained? Normally they would be chatting or kissing on the couch… the only difference was that Charlie didn't remember any of that.

'I'm glad you forgave me' Charlie piped up, she tapped her feet on the floor in a quick rhythm

'I didn't forgive you… I haven't forgiven you' Brax admitted

Charlie's eyes widened and her mouth wavered with confusion and shock. Brax didn't mean for his response to sound so blatant

'Oh' Charlie murmered 'But you… you invited me to dinner?" she said, her voice laced with confusion and sadness

'Georgia forced me to…' Brax further admitted, his gaze sinking to the ground with shame, once he heard the words escape his mouth he realized how low they actually sounded.

Charlie swallowed thickly and she stared at the ceiling, not allowing any tears to form or fall. 'So, you don't actually want to have dinner with me?' she asked self-consciously

'No, no.. I do. I just- there is a part of me that hasn't forgiven you yet' Brax replied, he moved his body further along the couch until his knee's were touching Charlie's. 'I invested all my trust in you, I was so focused on you getting better' Brax added

'I only lied because… I wanted to remember you first and I thought you would be upset because..' Charlie took a strained breath, her voice wavered with tears 'Because, I seem to be remembering everyone except for you when there is no one else I would rather remember' Charlie felt tears run down her cheeks and she could feel her eyeliner slowly smudging and dripping down her face but she didn't care. 'I don't understand why but I feel… so many things for you, love- maybe, I just… I just know that I would trade all my memories for the ones that I shared with you' she insisted

Brax felt his heart break; he couldn't hold the pain any longer. He had been abstaining from love until Charlie remembered, but he could no longer commit to that.

Brax slowly leant a hand forward and he cupped the side of Charlie's face, she stifled back tears and he tenderly stroked her face. He was so tempted to kiss her right then but Brax was adamant on keeping their next kiss until Charlie remembered again, he wanted to feel the love in her lips when they pressed into his. So, until the memory was sustained… the kiss would have to wait.

'I forgive you' Brax whispered to Charlie

.

**I hope you liked the chapter! I know that there was hardly any CHAX interaction but **_**trust me,**_** next chapter will be what you have been waiting for… maybe ;). Please review, I love when you tell me about which bits you loved/liked/hated, which lines or characters you found interesting! I promise I will try and update soon.**

**Next chapter, I'm probably introducing the new character/ storyline for Georgia and Heath- SPOILER: Think about why Georgia left Heath in the first place- all those years ago (make sure you read the prequel CHAX), this storyline is going to be an arc and its going to have an affect on all the characters especially Georgia and Heath. But amidst all that Georgia-Heathness (hehe that is my lazy attempt of giving them a couple name), the beloved CHAX will be there to bring us through!**

**Review review! Thankyou lovelies xxx **


	12. My Memory Of The Past

**Hey there lovelies! Thankyou for the gorgeous reviews (as always) this chapter is the start and end of a storyline, be prepared! Xoxo**

**I hope you all like the chapter, it took me ages to figure out how to portray a few *****ahem***** significant moments xoxo please read and hopefully enjoy**

**.**

The night went well, Charlie remained at Brax's house and slept in the bed (him on the couch) they got an early morning text from Heath inviting them to breakfast at the diner.

'You want to have breakfast with Heath and Georgie at the diner?" Brax asked as Charlie came out of the bedroom, her hair was messily tied in a braid and she wiped the sleep away from her eyes. 'Uh sure, I just have to go get changed' Charlie smiled; she self-consciously flattened her plait and pulled the hem of her shirt down her thighs.

Brax smirked at her and nodded 'All right, just tell me when you are ready'

Charlie quickly walked into the bedroom, she grabbed a loose grey singlet and slung it over her body, paired with a casual pair of jeans Charlie quickly ran out of the bedroom 'Ready!' she grinned

Brax picked up his keys and wallet before sighing in the direction of the doorway. Charlie followed his gaze and chuckled 'How to you intend on locking the door- or should I say _curtain?'_

Brax groaned 'I know! We could get robbed' he kicked the corner of the sheet miserably

Charlie's eyes lit up as she thought of an idea, she quickly grabbed a permanent marker off the counter and began to write on the hanging sheet.

''What are you doing?' Brax asked curiously, he leant off the couch and wandered towards Charlie

'Come look' she responded, her shadow still reflecting through the thin cotton

Brax ducked under the sheet and smiled when he saw what Charlie had written on the material: **MY WIFE-ISH IS A COP, IF YOU TRY TO BREAK-IN AND STEAL ANYTHING! SHE WILL TRACK YOU DOWN AND STEAL IT BACK!**

Brax chuckled at her graphitized message but he couldn't trance his eyes away from the second word 'wife-ish'. Ever since the coma, he had admittedly forgotten about the wedding, all his focus was on Charlie's emotional rehabilitation and Brax wasn't sure what to refer to Charlie as, he didn't want to scare her off but he wanted to show her how dedicated he was to their relationship.

'Wife' Brax raised an eyebrow as he read Charlie's writing

'Ish' Charlie added with a brush 'I mean we aren't technically married remember? The gun, the coma, the blood soaked wedding dress' she smirked sarcastically while flirtatiously bumping hips with Brax

'Yeah, all right. Lets go get breakfast' Brax pulled Charlie down the stairs- trying to ignore her bad attempt of a joke, and they made their way towards the diner.

Heath and Georgia were already sitting at the table with Amber in-between them

'Hey guys!' Heath smiled nodding at Charlie and Brax as they sat in the spare seats

'Amber is dining with us today so lets keep the conversation strictly Pg. rated' Georgia grinned with a wink

Brax rolled his eyes 'Because our conversations are usually full of inappropriate porn talk' he said sarcastically, Brax didn't think that they were_ very_ rude when they usually talked

'What is porn?' Amber asked quickly as she picked up on a new word that her vocabulary had never heard before, her head turning wildly with confusion. Heath shot Brax an angry look and Georgia choked on her latte before quickly covering her mouth and stamping on Brax's foot underneath the table.

'Uh its pictures of…. People' Georgia stammered over her words as Heath snickered behind her

'I like pictures of people' Amber giggled

The colour drained out of Georgia's face and she groaned into her palms

'Not these types of pictures' Charlie told Amber 'you don't like them, trust me'

Amber shrugged and took a sip of her milkshake.

Georgia death stared Brax before turning back to her latte 'How was your dinner last night?'

Charlie glanced at Brax as she remembered the beautiful evening that they had the night before. 'It was nice' she blushed

'Really nice' Brax added, he stole a glance of Charlie and for a moment he would have sworn that the loving look in her eyes was how she used to look at him… before the shooting, the coma… the memory loss.

Heath and G noticed the way they stared at each other as well, for a large moment Brax merely watched Charlie and she did the same, the world seemed to pause for a moment and it was just the two of them.

Amber slurped her milkshake; it pulled everyone back to reality. Brax coughed roughly and watched the ground; Charlie's eyes immediately darted to the ceiling.

'Baby, they just had a _moment_' Georgia subtly whispered into Heath's ear

Heath just shrugged, he didn't understand all that talk about couples having sexual tension, 'moments', and the unspoken love. To Heath, a guy liked a girl, a guy loved a girl and that was the simplicity of relationships, everyone else saw what Georgia did (what Brax and Charlie had experienced), Heath thought that the in-depth interpretations where too much and people where thinking to far into it, I think it is quite the opposite because even though Charlie's mind was muddled up about Brax, her subconscious was insisting that there was love and commitment between them.

'Aunty Charlie?" asked Amber curiously

'Yeah?"

'Do you remember everything yet?" she stared at Charlie inquisitively

Charlie felt her throat tighten. She had remembered everything, everyone except for moments with Brax. 'Um, almost. I'm getting there' Charlie tried to smile confidently

Brax sighed and subtly ordered himself another coffee from the passing waiter.

The group of them sat in silence for a moment, allowing the peace to drift over themselves.

'Mum, Isla is here' Amber pointed to a figure, waiting at the entrance of the diner 'She is here to take me to school' Amber added, she quickly kissed Georgia's cheek before jumping off her chair and waving goodbye to everyone else 'Bye Daddy, Bye Aunty Charlie, uncle Brax'

The adults all waved goodbye to Amber before turning back to their coffee's

'Finally! The conversation doesn't have to be so pg. anymore' Brax sighed

'You weren't really holding back before' Georgia scoffed with a quick eye roll

Heath chuckled lightly before slipping an arm around Georgia's waist.

'Nah, I liked having Amber here, she is cute and it makes me want kids' Charlie admitted.

Brax smiled when he heard Charlie say that; he hoped that when she said that she wanted kids that she was thinking of Brax because whenever he thought of a family, Charlie was all that flooded his mind.

Every day had been a small step forward for them and Brax couldn't tell where Charlie was at, it was difficult to know whether she was starting to feel the things that he already felt for her. At the back of Brax's head he knew that there was a chance that Charlie wouldn't remember him and if that happened, he would have to be willing to fight and regain her love… it would take ages to redevelop such love and commitment but Charlie would be worth it if it was deemed necessary.

'You will have kids one day; Beautiful tan-skinned river-boys' Georgia announced waving her arms around proudly

Brax laughed at her prediction 'What about you guys? Any mini detectives on the horizon?' he winked

'Well' Georgia paused and she felt Heath's arm tighten around her body comfortingly 'Since my ovaries are damaged from the cancer…there is pretty much no chance I can get pregnant-'

'Hey! A chance is a chance!' Charlie interrupted encouragingly

'Yeah I guess but we could always adopt if necessary' Georgia smiled lightly

Brax was still hooked on the previous words out of Charlie's mouth; _"A chance is a chance"- _He shouldn't be accepting the fate of their memories, they were still alive in Brax's mind and with the right stimulation and patience they will be back in Charlie's as well, there is always a chance and Brax intends on relying on it.

Suddenly a One Direction song played out loud indicating the arrival of a text message to someone's mobile.

Brax smirked 'Who has _One Direction_ as their ringtone?' Brax cringed at the sound of the 5 boys singing together which echoed from out of Georgia's bag.

Georgia scrambled to grab her mobile out of her purse. 'I do, they sing well'

'And look good' Charlie added with a flirtatious grin

'They are sexy!" Georgia agreed in giggles. The two boys rolled their eyes and ignored the reference of teen pop-culture; Georgia clicked on her iPhone to read the message. All colour drained from her face as she read the message, her hands shivered with shock and she immediately threw her mobile back in her bag.

'Everything ok?" Heath asked quietly, he reached out to Georgia timidly

Georgia didn't respond, she merely stared out into the distance, her hands firmly clasped together, Georgia's knuckles went white from the intense pressure- everyone else was unsure of what had happened or of what the text message had said

'Let me guess, it was a message from One Direction' Brax joked with a sly smile; the joke would usually ignite playful banter from Georgia but not today.

She shook her head slowly before standing from the table and roughly grabbing her handbag over her shoulder.

'Georgie girl, it was joke' Heath said confused at her sudden departure

Georgia ignored the voices; she had to escape- she had to be on her own right now. No one could know who had sent the message to her.

'G! Where are you going?" Brax called out

No response.

.

Charlie and Brax left not long after Georgia's sudden departure.

'I wonder why she left?' Brax asked as they wandered down the street towards their house. The sun beat down on their tan skin and shone brightly in the summer sky.

'I am more curious about who sent the message… who ever it was got her pretty spooked' Charlie murmered, her hand grazed Brax's lightly as they walked with their shoulders touching.

'Tegan?' Charlie guessed, squinting her eyes from the raging sun

'Nah, Georgia wouldn't have been spooked if it was Tegan- she would have been in an angry fit or started muttering _crazy bitch_ under her breath' Brax responded as they turned up their driveway.

Charlie nodded and walked into their house; She pushed past the graphitized curtain and sat on the couch in a quick movement. Brax stood in front of her and he watched as her eyebrows stiffened in deep thought.

'Everything ok?' Brax asked slowly

Charlie nodded but the distracted expression still roamed her face.

Brax softly sat down next to her and continued to stare at Charlie;

'How about I ask you if you are ok again and this time you answer me honestly…' Brax's voice questioned softly

Charlie's eyes darted to Brax and she twisted her body around. 'Are you… I mean… After talking to Georgia and Heath this morning about life… and babies - I was just wondering whether you still think about that sort of thing… with me?'

The corner of Brax's lips turned up into a smile 'I do, I am willing to wait until you remember but… If I'm being honest, I can't help thinking about having a family with you?' Brax admitted, he dodged Charlie's gaze since he didn't want to see her immediate reaction to his openly forward statement.

Brax kept his eyes glued to the floor but he could hear Charlie's course breathing in his ear. After a momentary silence that seemed longer to Brax's longing ears, Brax peered upwards 'Please say something, anything?' He squeaked awkwardly

Charlie's emotionless face loosened and she briskly shook her head, her brown hair landed over her shoulders in a frazzle.' I'm sorry' she murmered 'I… just don't know what to say… I'm shocked' she breathed

Brax's face hardened and he held his hands together stiffly '…Bad shocked?' he questioned

'No, good shocked… definitely good shocked' Charlie purred, her eyes peered up at Brax from beneath her layer of long eyelashes.

'I didn't want to scare you off or make you uncomfortable' Brax reassured her; his voice was shaky and nervous.

Charlie subconsciously shifted her hand onto Brax's thigh; he felt his body shiver with exhilaration as her touch felt his leg through the denim of his pants.

'You didn't scare me off, not at all but I just feel like I'm holding you back from life; If I hadn't lost my memory of you, we would be enjoying life in Summer bay as a married couple' Charlie exclaimed

'Venice' Brax interrupted in a mutter

'Huh?' Charlie asked- confused at the interruption

'Venice. We would be in Italy for our honeymoon right now' Brax smiled lightly

'Wow' Charlie gushed 'I have always wanted to visit Venice since I was a little girl'

'I know' Brax said softly 'It's why I picked to go there'

The rest of Brax and Charlie's conversation was secretive and flirtatious; they skipped around the boundaries- there was so much unspoken, so much left to the looks and gestures that they showed each other. All Brax wanted to do was love her, kiss her and commit to the marriage that they were supposed to be in… but due to the unfortunate events- everything was a few steps behind.

.

Later that night, all the other police officers were on a quick 10 minute break for Georgia sat at her desk in her office at the Police Station. Her breaths quickened and her thin legs shook with paranoia. Georgia couldn't stop reading the text that she got earlier at the diner, she couldn't believe that that person had contacted her. It wasn't right for them to decide when to come and go in her life; their actions and decisions had caused her more harm than good.

Georgia scraped her hands through her hair and pulled it roughly away from her face, she wanted to collapse on the floor and cry, she wanted to scream and announce to the world how angry, scared and confused she was over the entire situation. But, no one- not even Heath or Brax could know about who had contacted her today.

She looked at the ceiling in frustration, her lips quivering with cries; Georgia glanced at her desk, she quickly grabbed hold of the pot-plant that was sitting comfortably on a stack of files. She took hold of the pot and threw it across the room with as much force as she could handle. The fragments of purple clay flung around the room and the crashing noise echoed throughout the entire station. She stood up; tears beginning to flood down her cheeks- Georgia didn't know how to handle the emotions that were swarming through her brain. Her shaking hands grabbed hold of the photo frames that hung across the walls, she miserably threw them to the ground, the glass splintered open and splashed around the room like a fountain from the force they were thrown at; shards of the glass pierced her hands and crimson blood dribbled along her wrists as she accidently leant onto splinters of glass. Georgia began to cry, heaving sobs escaped her lips as she collapsed onto the ground. She hugged her knees to her body and couldn't stop crying. Everything from the past year was catching up to her and the text that she received earlier had just reminded her of how far she had come. Cancer, Adoption, miscarriage, death of a loved one, fights and more. She had appeared strong through all those moments, all those times of pain- Georgia had smiled and tried to think positively, but with the text… everything was about to come crashing down with the arrival of someone from her past.

.

Meanwhile Brax and Charlie were taking advantage of the silence in the house;

Brax fell onto the couch, yawned and wiped his eyes 'I'm tired' he murmered

'Its 8:pm' Charlie chuckled, falling onto the cushion next to Brax

Brax closed his eyes and smiled 'You know what I like? He murmered

'What do you like Daryl?' Charlie giggled, playing along with his game

'Sleeping' Brax responded

Charlie burst out in laughter; she fell across Brax's lap- her body still vibrating with giggles.

'But seriously; it's like dying just without the commitment' Brax raised an eyebrow and winked

Charlie rolled her eyes and stifled back a laugh 'Fine, let's go to sleep' she stood up and gave Brax her hand to help him to his feet. Brax gleefully accepted her offer and he clung to her hand, which pulled him to stance beside her.

'Sleep in your bed tonight' Charlie smiled

'Nah, I don't want you sleeping on the couch' Brax insisted, his hands lightly brushed Charlie's shoulder.

'I won't' the corners of her mouth bent into an innocent smile 'We can share the bed'

Brax cocked an eyebrow and smirked. Charlie groaned and punched Brax's arm playfully 'don't get any ideas, separate sides of the bed. No spooning… but we can share '

Brax nodded 'Only if you are sure'

Charlie's cheeks subconsciously blushed and she nodded 'Yeah, I'm sure'

The two of them wandered into the bedroom and slid underneath the covers of the bed. Even with Charlie on the opposite side of the bed he felt the intense chemistry drawing his body towards hers, this was the first time they had slept in the same bed since the wedding day and Brax couldn't help his mind from wandering to previous memories spent together in that very bed. The early mornings when the two of them would talk about the future while cuddled up in a blanket legs and arms intertwined. Brax was being strong and hopeful about the situation but he missed the way things used to be, he missed Charlie.

They drifted off to sleep not long after; neither spoke a word- unable to bring themselves to disrupt the beautiful silence and serenity between them.

The hours of the night drifted onwards and Charlie started to dream. The dreams seemed so real; they all consisted of Brax with her. Charlie felt her entire body react to the intensity of the dreams that were flashing through her head, the moments seemed so real. In the current dream she walked towards Brax while dressed in a white dress, a flirtatious smile playing over her lips. Charlie felt like she was witnessing a new movie, but the actions felt so real and the feelings and emotions felt somewhat like a missing fragment of her. Charlie then sat up, her chest heaving as she awoke from the dream. She suddenly realized, they weren't dreams… they were memories. Charlie felt tears of happiness brim at her eyes; this was the moment that she had been waiting for. Charlie closed her eyes and remembered everything; it was suddenly as if she had never forgotten… as if the memories had never left.

Charlie leant over to Brax's sleeping body, 'Brax, baby!' She tried to wake his sleeping form, her arms vigorously shaking his body. Brax's body rolled over and his sleepy eyes widened. Charlie felt tears slide down her cheeks and she turned her mouth into a grin. Brax glanced up at her smiling form before quickly flicking his eyes to check the time on the neon digital clock next to his bed. It was 1am in the morning. 'What's going on?" Brax murmered, his voice threaded with fatigue

'I remember' Charlie whispered, a glimmer of excitement and lust in her eyes

Brax shot up 'Wh…huh… What?' he immediately responded, unable to believe the fantastic news

'I remember you, I remember us… I... I love you' Charlie exclaimed

Brax felt his entire body freeze with shock. This was the exact moment that he had been praying for, this was the moment that they had both fought over, cried over, laughed over… the wait was finally over.

Charlie watched Brax's shocked state and she knew that only one thing would prove to him that she had sustained her memory. Charlie softly pressed Brax back against the bedframe and she closed her eyes, slowly edging her mouth further and further towards Brax's. As the distance between their faces grew smaller Charlie felt Brax's quickened breath assault her face. With one final move, their lips collided and for the first time in ages… Brax and Charlie kissed, his hands slid up her body as she pulled him closer into her arms.

'I love you' Charlie whispered to Brax as she released his lips for a moment

'Thankyou' Brax responded before recapturing her lips in a passionate kiss. They were the three words he had been craving to hear Charlie say ever since she woke-up from the coma.

.

.

.

**She remembers! Yay! Haha, please please review. I would love to hear about how you liked this chapter**

**NEXT UPDATE:**

**You will find out who sent Georgia the text that got her so distraught and the 'sender' will arrive in town… effecting everyone**

**Charlie and Brax make a decision about their relationship**

**Sorry if this was badly edited but.. I was in a massive rush to get it updated xxx**


	13. Enthusiasm, Wedding Bells & Daddy Issues

**Thankyou all for your reviews and story alerts xoxo**

**You are all beautiful! This chapter includes I bit of information about Georgia's past (mentioned in CHAX, mainly just why she left him in the first place, who forced her to leave and her past family life…) so if you don't remember that, maybe have a quick flick through my other ff just so this chapter makes more sense when you read it.**

**.**

Georgia stayed at the station for a couple of hours; she cleaned up the mess in the office, sweeping up the broken clay, the splinters of glass and the soil from the pot plant. She came to a stand and noticed that crimson red blood was seeping through the bandages that she had tied around her hands (after cutting her hands with the glass) The blood was still pumping out of the open gashes so Georgia decided that a quick trip to the hospital was necessary to quickly get some stitches.

It was in the early hours of the morning so the police station was quiet with only a few officers sitting behind the counter busily signing paperwork.

'I'll be back soon' she smiled before quickly escaping the station, her hands carefully hidden within the material of her thick cardigan.

Georgia quickly got into her car; her sore hands lightly gripped the steering wheel as she carefully maneuvered the car to the local hospital. She wanted to get the cuts healed so that Heath wouldn't worry, she texted him earlier saying that she wouldn't be home for a while since she had the late shift.

Little did Georgia know, Brax and Charlie were also in the hospital… After Charlie's amazing recovery from her amnesia, they decided that a quick final check-up was necessary.

Georgia's thin body looked hollow and weak as she made her way down the hospital corridor, the hood of her cardigan hung lazily over her loosely plaited hair. She watched the ground- making sure not to see anyone.

'Georgia?' A voice called out

Georgia's head immediately sprung up and she saw Brax and Charlie looking directly at her, their faces showing obvious confusion to why Georgia was at the hospital at such an early hour.

She smiled faintly at them, her bleeding hands still firmly placed in her pockets.

'Guess what? I remember!' Charlie exclaimed 'I mean, I remember Brax! I just woke up and I could remember everything' she gushed

Georgia nodded lightly 'Cool' she murmered, she was not in the right state of mind to be talking to people right now. Usually if someone had told her such incredible news her reaction would be lots of hugging, squealing and flirtatious talking… but not now.

Brax noticed Georgia's distant and distracted expression and her lack of enthusiasm at Charlie's news. 'Georgie girl…' he said softly 'everything ok? Why are you here?'

Georgia swallowed heavily, 'Nothing, I.. Uh.. I have to go' she muttered before running past Brax

Brax looked at Charlie confused before breaking into a smile 'Ok, I am worried about Georgia's weirdness but I can't help being ecstatic about us… and you remembering' Brax grinned before placing a quick kiss on her forehead. Charlie giggled and quickly slipped her hand into Brax's grip. 'Can we go home now?' Charlie asked eagerly, she had just had a check-up before they bumped into Georgia and she was eager to get home to just Brax and her, no distractions apart from each other. Brax smirked at her eagerness but slung his arm around her waist protectively before leading Charlie to the car park.

Meanwhile Georgia made her way to the nurse's station to see if she could get some help for her cuts.

Her jittery body leant on the counter and she carefully leant her head back to flick the hood of her cardigan off her head.

'Hi darling, how can I help you?' A chirpy nurse asked

Georgia slowly got her hands out of her pockets and showed the nurse the completely bloodstained bandages wrapped around her hands and wrists. 'Oops' Georgia muttered

The nurse gasped 'Oh god; Uhhm, I will just grab a doctor for you' she quickly stood from her chair looking flustered before paging a doctor to assist.

'Detective' A voice grunted, Georgia recognized the voice as belonging to Sid Walker

She looked up at him 'I cut my hands while I was…. Cleaning up some dropped glass' she said

Sid nodded before leading Georgia into a spare hospital room. She sat on the edge of the bed leaving her hands resting on her bare legs as Sid collected a few supplies such as antibacterial wipes.

'Its just small cuts, nothing really… I probably just need a Band-Aid' Georgia chuckled, attempting to get back into her playful banter

'I'll be the judge of that' Sid muttered before pulling the bandages away from her hand and grimacing at the cuts 'You will probably need a few stitches for your right hand but your left wrist will heal with a proper adhesive bandage' Sid explained

Georgia nodded and allowed Sid to begin to fix up her injuries.

'How did it happen?' Sid asked curiously, noticing the strange placement of the bruising cuts

Georgia flinched as she recalled the previous events. She straightened her back and pursed her lips firmly; 'I uh, I dropped a few photo frames… accidently' she muttered, carefully eyeing the tiled floor

Sid sighed deeply and began to strap her wrist 'I believe that it happened from the glass of a photo frame but… I'm struggling to believe that it was an accident' he raised an eyebrow and Georgia quickly moved her gaze. 'Do you need to talk to anyone? Is everything in your life ok…?' Sid's heavy gaze burnt into her face. 'Georgia, No-one should feel the need to accept or commit to self-harm'

'Yeah, well…. You know what? I came here for a quick medical check, not to be interrogated on a freaking session of Oprah, so I am leaving' Georgia snapped, she ripped her sore arms from Sid's grip and ran out the room. He was right. The cuts were not an accident, the crimson blood was a reminder to feel something and she didn't feel anything…she felt everything.

Georgia stuffed her half-fixed hands back in the sleeves of her cardigan and she raced out of the hospital. Her heaving breathes and teary eyes blurring the road ahead;

.

Brax sat opposite Charlie in the diner; he couldn't take his eyes off her, it was so relieving to know that she had her memory back. He had spent days drinking and breaking apart on the inside from pure sadness and a vulnerability that was thinking the worst, that Charlie wouldn't remember. But she did remember, everything was ok now.

'Stop staring at me' Charlie blushed; she raised a hand and self-consciously stroked her cheek.

Brax chuckled and grabbed Charlie's hand in his own grip; 'I'm just glad you are back' he smiled

'I was never gone' She smirked, her eyes widening with a teasing attitude

'Yeah… yeah you were; that girl that didn't remember me was different, she wasn't you….' Brax smiled lightly, he felt so much more comfortable now that Charlie remembered there was no more need to hide or be cautious.

'I love you' she said out of the blue

'I guess you're alright' Brax said in a teasing voice with a wink

Charlie playfully shoved his arm 'Oy! This is a serious conversation' she said in a mock harsh voice

Brax shook his head and chuckled 'Alright, alright sorry… I love you too' he corrected himself

'Good. Now, at out wedding… We never _actually _got married. I was thinking that maybe we could go into the city today and, well… get married?' she asked slowly, each word shaking with uncertainty

Brax grinned and cupped his hands around Charlie's face 'Don't you want anything more fancy?'

'In my mind I'm already your wife, I just need to see it on paper' Charlie responded, her brown eyes widening with hope.

Brax nodded 'Alright then, lets do it… Lets get married' he said lightly

Charlie twisted the engagement ring around her finger and she felt the bare skin above it… soon to have a ring of its own. Brax released Charlie from his grip and he sighed; 'Sid should have called back by now, I want to know if you are ok' Brax mumbled, eyeing his silent mobile. Charlie had taken what seemed like a million tests just to check whether or not she was fully healed after the accident and Sid had promised that he would call them about the results.

'I'm fine' Charlie promised

'I know' Brax responded reluctantly 'I just want to be sure'

'Well, I can assure you that I'm feeling…. As good as can be expected' Charlie forged a smile

Brax noticed her slip of tone and immediately darted his eyes to Charlie.

Ever since the shooting, he was overly protective and concerned about her wellbeing. After going through such an intense and traumatic experience, Brax realized how impossible life would be like without Charlie around and he had no intention on letting that happen.

'What do you mean, "_as good as can be expected"_?' Brax asked curiously

Charlie shook her head, allowing her dark hair to fall over her shoulders 'Nothing really… just for a week or so… I have been feeling quite fatigued and I have been throwing up quite a bit' Charlie admitted

Brax's eyes widened 'You didn't tell me?' he immediately responded

Charlie scoffed 'Uh maybe because you were already treating me like a hopeless case, anymore information about me feeling nauseous and you would have shipped me off to hospital!' Charlie insisted with a cheeky grin

Brax groaned to himself in a frustrated tone 'Well, we will know soon enough… when Sid calls'

Charlie rolled her eyes with a smile and she pulled Brax off the chair and out of the diner.

'Lets go get married' she whispered into his ear as the two of them wandered towards the car.

.

Heath sat on the couch with Amber next to him. It was early morning and neither of them had seen Georgia since the previous morning at the diner with Brax and Charlie, Heath had tried calling her but he merely received an impersonalized text message stating: **IM GOING OUT – GEORGIE**

Heath had no idea of what had happened the morning before with the text but right now, he was just worried about his wife's whereabouts.

'Where is mum?' Amber asked curiously as she ate a spoonful of her cereal not taking her eyes away from the cartoons currently swarming the television screen

'She is… busy, just eat your cereal and I will drop you off at school' Heath muttered

Amber scowled before melodramatically running into the kitchen and dropping her cereal bowl in the sink. Heath shut his eyes and leant his head into the back of the couch, his eyes were straining due to his lack of sleep the night before- Heath had remained awake, determined to talk to Georgia when and if she came home.

Suddenly the front door slammed open and Georgia walked in, her head was low and covered with the thin hood of her cardigan.

Heath sprung off the couch when he heard the door slam shut. 'Holy shit Georgia! Where were you?' he placed his arms on her shoulders attempting to get her to look at him. 'I was frikin worried'

Georgia didn't meet his eyes, she merely nodded blankly. She shrugged Heath's arms off her shoulders and tried to push past his broad body.

'Georgia, talk to me. What's going on?' Heath struggled to hold her body in front of his own.

Georgia didn't reply, she raised her hands and harshly pushed her hair away from her face. Heath noticed the mangled state of her hands and he immediately grasped her right hand in his palm. 'What happened?' he asked, his head was spinning with confusion. Georgia hadn't spoken a word since she walked into the house. 'Georgia!' Heath cried

Amber walked into the room and noticed her mum's distant view and her father's shaken state. She hid her body behind the doorframe and nervously watched the scene in front of her.

Georgia pulled her hand out of Heath's grasp and she placed her shaking hands in her pockets. She attempted to push past Heath to get into the next room, all she wanted to do was lie down and forget everything- definitely not in the mood for a confrontation like the one that was beginning with Heath.

'You didn't come home after breakfast _or _for lunch, dinner, Georgia! You can't just stay out all night then turn-up and not speak a word to me!' Heath insisted, his voice's volume rising with tension. Georgia moved her eyes to focus at the ground, her arms begun to shake nervously and Heath took a slow step backwards. 'F*** Georgia! F***! Will you please just say something?' Heath demanded, his angry words were woven with sincere concern

Georgia slowly brought her eyes up to meet Heath's; 'I'm going to go have a lie-down' she stated coldly before brushing past Heath, ignoring Amber and quickly escaping into the confined space of her bedroom. Heath angrily slammed the door shut causing the entire house's frame to shake, he sat back into the couch, Heath's breathing was heavy and uncontrollable and he covered his face with his hands. Amber had remained hidden throughout the entire ordeal, her small frame had hidden within the corners of the room, and she didn't know what to say or do.

'Daddy?' Her small voice echoed 'Daddy' Amber crawled out of the room and towards her father who was still lieing on the couch. Heath peeled his hands away from his face once he heard his daughter's vulnerable voice call his name.

'Hey princess, come give me a hug' Heath pulled Amber onto his lap and nestled her face into the crook of his neck.

'Why is mum acting strange?' She whispered into Heaths ear, her hot breath tickled his cheek

'I don't know, I think she is sad' Heath responded, he began to stroke Amber's back to comfort her frazzled state.

'Why?'

'I don't know, but I intend on finding out' Heath murmered, and that was true. His wife seemed like a completely different person, vulnerable, scared and pained. Nothing like the girl that everyone knew and loved.

Georgia sat on her bed by herself; she laid her head on the pillow and tried to close her eyes. The person who sent her the text had tried to call this time, when Georgia was driving home from the hospital she saw the screen of her mobile light up with the 10 digit number that had been etched into her brain since she was young; Georgia remembered back to when she was younger, the years ago when she had been dating Heath, both still young and innocent (Heath semi-tattooless) The days when Georgia and Heath's biggest issues were about what they were going to wear to their year 12 formal or what university they were going to attend. But then, the moment that made Georgia leave Heath. The person who blackmailed her to leave the man she was going to marry, the person who took away years of her life. Her father. Georgia hadn't spoken to him in years, the last time she saw him was the day he told her….

_**FLASHBACK:**_

"_**If you don't decline Heath's proposal, I will go to the police station and inform them of every illegal activity he has been involved in' Her father grabbed her arm harshly, his fingernails dug into the flesh of her skin.**_

_**Tears pricked Georgia's eyes as she struggled to pull away from her fathers aggressive grip 'No, I love him. I'm not going to leave him, you bastard!' She remained strong and shouted in his face.**_

_**Her father's eyes widened with rage at her bold response, he raised his palm and whipped it across her face, his hand leaving a burning sensation across her bruising cheeks. 'You listen to me. I am your father. If you don't leave Heath then I will tell the police everything I know about him, he will end up serving at least 20 years in maximum security prison' he growled into her face, Georgia could see the sweat building up on his forehead.**_

'_**I can't, I can't' Georgia's voice broke as she clutched her face**_

'_**Leave tonight, Do not tell Heath where you are going, Do not come back, If you do exactly as I say, then I will have no reason to inform the police' Her father made a final statement, he grabbed Georgia's shoulder and grated his fingers into her skin, his aggressive touch left bruising reflections on her skin. With a final shove, he pushed Georgia to the ground and left the room.**_

'_**You deserve better' He grunted**_

_**Georgia broke down into a heap of tears; she had no idea of what to do.**_

_**END FLASHBACK;**_

Her father's text had said that he was coming to Summer Bay; he was coming to see her.

.

The car ride to the city seemed to take forever. The summer sun beamed through the windows and Brax had the radio turned up to the maximum volume, upbeat music streamed through the speakers and Charlie tapped her fingers along to the rhythm. There was nothing that could get them down; they were on their way to get married. The words seemed surreal, yet very overdue. They should be on their honeymoon right now or at least returning from it but due to the shooting and amnesia, the future plans had been postponed but today was the day where life could continue.

'So, are we reading vows?' Charlie asked curiously

'Nah, I have said everything I want to at the initial wedding. Repeating my words would feel fake and repetitive, I want to remember those few special moments that we shared that day' Brax responded, his hand darted to the radio and he lowered the volume to allow them to talk easily.

'Yeah, me to' Charlie smiled happily, she slid a hand onto Brax's leg and she smirked as his eyes glanced at her with intense longing.

'Eyes on the road' Charlie said in a sexy voice

'Then stop turning me on!' Brax winked at her and Charlie released her grip on his leg- but not before allowing her fingers to drift higher up his leg and give him a light squeeze. Brax groaned in delight but didn't take his eyes away from the road ahead. The city buildings were coming into view, everything seemed modern and new; the skyscrapers seemed to go high into the sky for endless levels and the city residents walked down the street looking perfect and glossy almost like they were part of a magazine shoot.

'We are here' Charlie squealed excitedly, she peered out of the window eagerly as Brax parked the car.

The two of them got out of the car and immediately clung on to each other's hands in pure exhilaration. Brax walked towards the city hall, Charlie one step ahead.

They reached the city building and were immediately ushered into a room, the process seemed too simple. A few rushed signatures, a witness's approval and a quick announcement of marriage before the two of them were quickly rushed out of the hall in less than an hour; They stood on the steps in shock, both of them weren't sure what to say.

'So, we are married' Brax breathed after allowing the silence to drift away

'Married' Charlie repeated, her hands were firmly placed by her sides.

Brax shook his head with disbelief and he quickly put his hands around Charlie's waist. 'You are my wife' he grinned

Charlie blushed with excitement before leaning in and catching Brax's lips in a heated kiss, she moved her hands up his chest until they were caressing his face.

After a moment Brax broke away, his breaths quickened and his eyes still firmly planted on Charlie, his wife. This was the moment that they had both been waiting for, after months of intense drama, passion and love they had finally made the plunge into the next step. Marriage wasn't an easy decision, it's a commitment that follows you through for your entire life and the two of them knew that it was a commitment they could handle; it was something that was needed and adored.

'What's next?' Charlie asked, she linked her arm through Brax's.

'Well, our honeymoon tickets have expired but… maybe we could spend the weekend by ourselves in that cabin just outside of Yabby Creek?' Brax suggested and they began to slowly wander down the steps together.

'Yeah, I'd love that' Charlie smiled 'I love you' she echoed

Brax slung an arm protectively around Charlie's slender frame and they made there way back to the car, suddenly it hit Charlie that not a single one of their family members or friends knew that they were married. She quickly grabbed her mobile out of her pocket and dialed Ruby's mobile number.

'Hey sweetie' Charlie answered, trying to hide her excitement

'Mum… what's going on?" Ruby responded

'Well, Brax and I drove into town today and… we got married' Charlie flinched as she waited for Ruby's answer.

Her ears were immedialty surprised with extremally high-pitched screams of excitement 'Oh my god! I'm so happy for you' Ruby squealed

'Thankyou! Now, Are you alright with still staying with Morag for a while because Brax and I wanted to get away for a couple of days?'

'Yeah, of course. I was planning on moving back in with her anyway because its easier for my university' Ruby responded

'Good, Ok I have to go now! I love you'

'Love you! Tell Brax that I say congratulations' Ruby grinned before hanging up.

Charlie slid the seatbelt across her body and handed the phone to Brax.

'I'll drive to the cabin and you can call Heath and Georgia' She nodded and began to start the ignition.

Brax punched in the speed dial for his brothers (and best friends) phone number, the dial tone rung a few time before an emotionally exhausted Heath answered the phone.

'Hm' Heath murmered, he still hadn't seen Georgia since she escaped to her room.

'Wow! Its great to hear your voice as well Heath!' Brax smirked sarcastically at his brother's depressed voice.

'What do you want Brax?' Heath snapped

Brax sighed and shot a quick look at Charlie, this conversation was definitely not going as planned.

'Well, in your extremally _cheerful _state… I wanted to tell you that I am a married man' Brax grinned

'So am I' Heath muttered

Brax was completely confused to why Heath was acting so moody. 'I thought your response would have a little bit more enthusiasm in it but… ok… wow… thanks mate. Look, I bet that your wife will have more excitement for me and _my wife_ so; can you pass the phone to Georgie? I would rather talk to her?'

Before Brax could even add another word he was hit with the dial tone. Heath had hung up.

Brax slowly lowered the phone to his side and looked out the window confused, what was going on?

'Were they super excited?' Charlie asked, her eyes quickly glanced away from the road, as she was eager to hear about her new families opinion.

'Uh… Heath hung-up on me' Brax responded still in a daze.

Charlie frowned lightly and squeezed Brax's arm for comfort 'Maybe they ran out of reception?'

Brax snorted 'It's a home phone. My own brother hung up on me!' He exclaimed

This wasn't the attitude that they wanted to receive about their marriage; they were expecting lame jokes and congratulations from Heath and maybe cheeky, flirtatious words from Georgia- definitely not the blunt response that Brax had received. This was the long-awaited marriage that all of summer-bay had seen coming (once they stopped hiding their romance from the world) and the only people who actually seemed happy about it seemed to be themselves and Ruby.

'It's ok, I'm sure he just had other things on his mind' Charlie attempted to soother the atmosphere 'Lets just go away for the weekend and have fun together' she placed a quick kiss on Brax's cheek 'Just the two of us'

Brax reluctantly nodded but he still couldn't help feeling a little bit concerned about what was going on with Georgia and Heath back at home.

'Baby, lighten up! We are married! I am your wife' Charlie squealed

Brax nodded, this wasn't time to dwell on the current issues in his life- it was time to celebrate the beginning of a new chapter.

.

Georgia slunk out of her room later the afternoon. Her slender frame was still hidden underneath her pale gray cardigan as she slid into the kitchen to grab a drink of water.

'You need to eat' A voice suddenly muttered

Georgia turned and saw Heath standing at the entrance to the kitchen, his arms were firmly crossed across his chest and he was staring down at her. 'You haven't eaten since yesterday morning' he added bluntly

Georgia shrugged and miserably downed a glass of chilled water before leaning against the fridge

'Brax called me a couple of minutes ago and told me that he got married in the city' Heath murmered

Georgia didn't meet his gaze; she merely nodded and lowered her shoulders.

Heath sighed; he had no idea what was going on. Ever since she received that text everything had slowly begun to go downhill.

'Georgia, are you going to tell me what's going on? I need you to talk to me!' He placed his hands on her shoulders and tried to get her to focus her sad eyes on his face.

'I don't want to talk about it' she whispered

Suddenly the doorbell rung and it caused Georgia to jump in surprisal.

'I'll get it' she muttered, this was the only way she could escape the situation with Heath

Georgia wandered towards the door and she stretched out a hand to open the door. Suddenly she saw who it was.

_**FLASHBACK:**_

'_**Georgia get out here!' He father's slurred voice called out**_

'_**He is bloody drunk' Tegan whispered to Georgia as they sat together on the bed in Georgia's room. 'Don't go out there' Tegan insisted while clutching Georgia's arm.**_

_**Georgia tried to push her body further away from the noise of her father's drunken voice.**_

_**He got drunk regularly and took out his anger and frustration on Georgia and her sisters.**_

'_**Georgia! Get your ass out here!' **_

_**Georgia began to slowly slide off her bed, her shaking legs managed to stay standing; Tegan's hand was still firmly clasped around her arm. 'Don't Georgie! You know what he will do, stay with me' Tegan's voice whimpered**_

_**Georgia ignored her sister's pleads and she pulled her arm away from Tegan's firm grip. She felt the marks which were already inflicted on her own skin from previous nights and took a breath before walking out into the living room to face yet another nightmare.**_

_**END FLASHBACK:**_

Georgia's mind flashed to the various times her father had beaten her, his sweaty hands leaving bruising imprints all over her body. Now, after years and years of Georgia recovering her life he was back.

There… in the doorway stood her father, smiling at her deviously. Georgia felt herself begin to emotionally crumble; she tried to hide her face underneath the hood of her cardigan as his eyes bore into her head. This was just like when she was younger, he had an overriding psychological control over her body. Georgia lowered her face and felt her breathing quicken, she tried to look around to see if Heath was coming into the room. Georgia began to panic, she didn't know what to say or do.

'Hello Georgia, did you miss me?' His low voice whispered with a slow yet devilish smile.

.

**Another chapter done! **

**Now, I know that the marriage scene was quick but trust me- I have more to come at the cabin and one big secret (you may have picked up what it is from one of Charlie's lines to Brax in an earlier scene this chapter)**

**There is a lot of building tension and I hope you were able to understand it all**

**Thankyou for sitting through another chapter! (I hope the two flashbacks from Georgia were ok) Did you guys guess that the mystery person would be her father? **

**Please review... because remember the more you review! The faster I will attempt to update xoxo Haha**


	14. Scared To Be A Dad & Scared Of A Dad

**Sorry for taking ages to update! I hope this chapter is ok, I didn't spend very long editing it as I really wanted to upload it tonight xoxo**

**I hope you enjoy it **

**Xxx**

**.**

Dads and their daughters usually have good relationships, full of sweet moments with protective instincts and loyalty. Georgia never had that as a child, her and all her sisters- mainly Tegan all experienced neglect and abuse. Every time their father came home from the pub, his breath smelling of cigarettes and vodka- the girls and their one brother all knew what was coming, his anger would be raging and their would be nothing holding him back from slapping, hitting, kicking as well as emotionally hurting any of his children. Georgia was one of the oldest children so she succumbed to the majority of the abuse, with a brave face and bruised skin she would step forward and take the pain for her siblings. But, now that her father was standing in front of her, all those years of recovery seemed useless. Georgia couldn't keep her head high, she felt vulnerable and weak under his heavy glance. What if he threatened to take her away from Heath again?

'So… Georgia, are you going to invite me inside?' His wiry voice asked

Georgia took a step backwards and leant against the wall for support. She felt her legs weaken and her heart begin to pound ferociously against her chest;

'So, how is my granddaughter? I heard that you managed to get Amber back out of the orphanage. I don't know why...' he took a step closer to Georgia, his dry breath echoed onto Georgia's neck and she subconsciously flinched at his approach. 'A filthy, messed-up girl like you doesn't deserve a daughter' he smirked

Georgia felt tears arouse in her eyes, she tried to blink them away and remain strong but his words affected her too much. Was he right? Was she actually a bad mother?

Suddenly a voice broke through the atmosphere 'Mr. Callahan' Heath spat coming to stand next to Georgia

'You should know to call me John by now Heath… I mean we are family' John's sly words escaped his smirking mouth. Heath pulled Georgia away from John and he continued 'Mr. Callahan. What are you going here?'

'I assumed your wife would have told you… I sent her a text yesterday morning saying that I was coming to town for a visit'

Heath nodded in realization, he now understood why Georgia had been acting so strange- the text she received the other morning was from her father.

'After years and years of staying away- you decide for a spontaneous visit?' Heath growled, he had heard rumors that John could sometimes be abusive but Georgia had refused to ever tell him any details on the topic.

Suddenly John slid a hand on Georgia's shoulder, making her shiver and shake underneath his toxic grip. 'I just wanted to say hello to one of my children' he whispered into Georgia's ear

Georgia whimpered lightly and looked at Heath with pleading eyes.

Heath unexpectedly noticed Amber sneak into the room

'Who are you?' She asked slowly

Heath swallowed heavily and grabbed onto Amber's hand protectively 'This is your grandpa John… you met him when you were a baby' Heath muttered

Amber's eyes widened and she grinned in recollection 'Grandpa John!' she lunged towards John's open arms and hugged his body warmly.

Georgia didn't know what to say or do, she watched as her abusive father hug her own daughter, she wanted to rip Amber from his grip but the subconscious power he held over her forced Georgia to remain standing.

'All I wanted to do was have dinner as a family' John told Heath while still holding Amber in a loose embrace

'No' Heath immediately barked

Amber pulled away from John and looked at her own father confused 'Why not Daddy? Why can't grandpa have dinner with us?' Her doe-eyes widened with confusion and sadness.

Heath knew that he couldn't explain to Amber what the issue with John was, she was too young to understand all the pain and hurt that her Grandfather had caused them.

Georgia allowed her body to crumble on to the ground in a sitting position against the wall. Heath glanced at everyone in the room. Johns smirking mouth was facing Georgia and Heath realized that he was taking advantage of Amber being in the room. Heath couldn't decline the offer while their daughter was standing innocently in the middle of it all.

'Fine, dinner tonight and that is all' he muttered, looking at the ground disgusted at his own easy defeat.

A single tear slid down Georgia's cheek, she couldn't breath or make her own decisions when her father was around. She could still feel the physical pain that he inflicted upon her all those years ago and now, tonight… she would have to sit at the same table and eat dinner with the man who ruined her childhood.

'Will I get to see Brax tonight, I haven't seen him since Georgia moved away'

'No, he is busy with his wife tonight' Heath muttered

'That's a shame, I always liked him' John smiled 'Anyway… Georgia, none of your siblings will be able to make it tonight either'

Georgia ignored her father's voice; though, she was secretly disappointed by what he said. She would admittedly like to see any of her siblings, she hadn't seen Tegan in weeks and although her fiery personality and rude wit often made her unbearable to be around, Georgia missed her. Apart from Tegan, Georgia had two other siblings. Twins, called Kenzie and Matt. They are 19 years old and currently reside at a Uni in Sydney, Georgia hadn't seen them for years and she often missed their cheeky wit.

Georgia couldn't handle to be around the situation anymore. She stood up from the floor and wiped the tears away from her face and spoke the first words to her father in years 'I will see you at dinner, dad' her voice whispered before she escaped into the confiding walls of the kitchen

.

'Brax! I know that most of the luggage is mine… but can you please help carry the bags' Charlie whined while attempting to balance two large bags in her arms and waddle towards the small cottage.

Brax chuckled and immediately grabbed both the bags out of Charlie's hands before quickly placing a fast kiss on her cheek and running ahead to unlock the door of the cottage.

Charlie giggled and jogged up to Brax; Brax dropped the bags on the hardwood floor of the veranda and gave Charlie a cheeky grin. She looked at Brax with a confused smile 'Uh, are we going to go inside or just sleep on the porch?' Charlie took a step towards the door.

Brax put his arm across her chest, stopping her from getting any further.

'Brax?'

'Charlie' He mimicked in a teasing voice

Charlie pouted and clung her fingers around Brax's muscular arm. 'What's going on?'

'It is a rule in the marriage handbook that all husbands must carry their wives over the threshold' Brax grinned

Charlie smirked at his sudden desire to follow certain tradition. 'That's so cheesy' she giggled

Brax nodded but quickly swung his hands underneath Charlie's legs and around her body. She squealed with shock and delight as Brax pulled her body entirely into his arms

'Brax!' Charlie giggled while latching her hands around his neck. He chuckled at his blushing wife and placed a heated kiss on her forehead while taking a step inside the cottage. Brax pulled Charlie closer and smiled to himself as he lowered her body to the ground. 'There you go, Mrs. Braxton-Buckton' Brax winked

Charlie bit her lip and pulled Brax into a quick kiss, she pushed his body up against the wall and suddenly felt a vibration echo onto her hips. Charlie quickly pulled her body back in shock but allowed her lips to continue pressing kisses along Brax's neck. 'Please tell me that was your phone' she chuckled in-between the heated kisses

Brax smiled lightly against Charlie's lips and he slid his mobile out of his pocket.

_**9 missed calls from: "MY-GIRL-GEORGIA"**_

Brax pressed his lips together firmly after he read the notification aloud. Charlie groaned and pulled her head back from their embrace dramatically. 'Leave it' she murmered before cupping Brax's face in her hands and placing another impatient kiss on the edge of Brax's neck.

'9 missed calls is serious, what if she needs my help?" Brax asked worriedly, his hand still clutching his mobile

'She probably just wants to congratulate us on the wedding, don't worry about it' Charlie insisted

Brax reluctantly nodded and allowed his phone to slide back into his pocket. Brax instigated the next move and he began to slip Charlie's tight shirt off her shoulders before allowing his mouth to trail kisses across her chest. Charlie moaned lightly in delight but lost focus when she saw that there was a missed call flashing on her own mobile. She immediately pushed away from Brax and grabbed her mobile, recognizing the number as being from the hospital- it was probably the call from Sid about her test results.

'I thought we weren't allowing distractions' Brax pouted and rested against the wall as Charlie stared at her mobile.

'It's a missed call from Sid' she murmered

Brax immediately straightened up and grabbed Charlie's hand 'It'll be ok, he will just be telling us the results of your tests, you will be fine' he reassured

'Yeah…yeah, you are probably right but I'm just going to call him' Charlie punched in the digits of the phone number for the hospital before pressing her mobile up against her ear. Charlie couldn't help the worried look that roamed her face, this was the result for the first check-up that she had had since she woke-up from the coma.

'Hello, Nurse Cleo O'Connor speaking' A chirpy voice answered the call

'Hey...oh Uh... Hi… I was wondering whether I could speak to Dr Walker, I missed his call earlier' Charlie spoke nervously, Brax grabbed her hand and squeezed it comfortingly

'Sure, Just let me connect the call across to his department' the nurse spoke sweetly

There was a vague pause until Sid answered;

'Charlie?'

'Yeah' she nodded breathlessly, her eyebrows creased together as her nerves began to increase

'Is there anyway you can get to the hospital today? I just need to discuss your results with you' Sid spoke calmly; his voice was absent of any emotion.

Charlie gasped and swallowed thickly, _what was going on?_

'Uh, no… sorry. I'm out of town right now… could you tell me over the phone?' she asked

'Sure, ok… well your blood tests came back normal, maybe a little bit low in iron but nothing to worry about, the reason I wanted to get in contact with you is because your scans came back showing me something' Sid paused

Charlie felt her lips quiver; Brax pulled her closer into his arms.

'Am I sick?' Charlie's voice asked nervously

Sid smiled to himself 'No, nothing of the sort. Charlie you are pregnant'

Charlie felt herself sigh with relief, oh god. Her mind hadn't even considered that option.

'Charlie, what's going on?' Brax asked worriedly

Charlie quickly took the phone away from her ear and she smiled at Brax, they were going to be parents 'I am pregnant' she whispered in almost disbelief

Brax's eyes widened in shock 'But, how?" He asked

Charlie immedialty nodded, how? She quickly put the phone back up to her ear

'Charlie, Charlie are you there?' Sid asked

'Yeah, sorry just in shock' She laughed awkwardly

'Its fine, congratulations'

'I just don't understand… how? I mean, Brax and I didn't have sex _at all_ while my memory was gone? How could I be pregnant?'

'Well, you must have conceived the child before your coma. A pregnancy takes just around 2 weeks to show up in a scan so when I did your initial tests right after the shooting the child would have been too small to see… So I guess you have been pregnant this entire time' Sid explained

Charlie felt her eyes well up with happy tears; she had wanted another child for so long. She quickly thanked Sid and hung up the phone. Her entire body was shaking with a mix of emotions- fear, excitement, exhilaration, shock and happiness.

'We….' Brax murmered

'Are pregnant' Charlie finished breathlessly, they both glanced up at each other

'Oh my god' Charlie breathed

Brax immediately captured her lips in a heated kiss; he cupped her face with his hands and continued to push her against the wall lightly. A simple phone call had changed their lives forever.

Brax pulled away from Charlie 'This is it, we are married and about to have a kid- you can't back out now' he joked with a wink

'No, no… This is everything I have ever wanted' Charlie responded, her hot, breathy voice whispered into Brax's ear. She slid her arms down Brax's body and the two of them moved into the bedroom to continue celebrating.

.

Georgia wandered down the stairs, donning a baggy grey sweater that hung just below her protruding collarbones and a pair of skinny jeans that were folded up roughly and swum loosely around her ankles. She knew that she was going to have to eat dinner with her father. She hated that Heath had accepted his proposal to dine with them that night; Georgia was emotionally exhausted yet petrified of her father. Whenever he looked at her she could literally imagine his eyes judging her and her mind flashed back to the memories when his wicked touch would bruise and burn her innocent skin.

'Georgia, I just cooked up some salad and a Barbeque. Is that ok?' Heath asked while setting the table with fancy china plates and shining cutlery.

She nodded weakly 'Where is he?'

Heath sighed as he heard his wife's vulnerable voice whisper. This was nothing like her usual persona, she would normally be joking, flirting and singing around the house.

'He is in the front room watching TV with Amber. I'm about to call them in for dinner' Heath told her, his hand slowly reaching to touch her shaking arms

'Georgie, what did he do to you all those years ago? Why are you so scared to be around him?' Heath asked, his pleading words scraping at the firm barrier that Georgia had constructed.

She ignored Heath's words and grabbed the salad from the kitchen. Georgia placed it lightly in the centre of the table before taking a seat opposite it.

Heath closed his eyes with defeat; Georgia wasn't going to talk to him about this.

'Amber, Mr. Callahan! Dinner is ready' Heath called out gruffly before taking a seat at the opposite end of the table to Georgia.

John and Amber wandered through the door and Heath watched as John immediately smirked at Georgia's faded appearance.

'Georgie, I can almost see down your shirt. Pull it up, now. You are the woman of the house, you need to dress up for your man and not look like a tramp' John growled

Georgia's already trembling chin shook lightly in agreement and she puller her sweater higher up her body.

'You look fine' Heath defended his wife, his eyes glaring at John as he took a seat next to Georgia. Heath suddenly regretted his choice of seating as he noticed Georgia grow pale once John sat next to her.

Amber broke the silence by serving herself a sausage and trying to reach for the salad tongs.

'Hey beautiful, can you pass me the plate of sausages.' Heath asked Amber with a smile

Amber immediately passed Heath the plate and they all began to serve their food in silence. After a moment Heath looked up from his meal and saw that Georgia wasn't eating and her father's heavy gaze was burning into her face.

'G, do you want any meat? Potato bake?' Heath offered, trying to get her to eat something

Georgia looked up at her father who pursed his lips together 'Why don't you just have some salad, you know… Just to watch your weight.' He told her in a sickly sweet voice

'No, Georgia. You can eat whatever you want' Heath snapped, he slammed his glass of water on the table heavily.

'It's fine. My dads right, I should probably just have salad' Georgia murmered self-consciously. She hugged her stomach nervously and glanced at her father who was busily scoffing down a pile of potato and meat.

Georgia reached for the salad and scooped out a small pile of lettuce and celery. Her father's words were beginning to make her feel self-conscious about her appearance. _Maybe I am fat and ugly? Maybe I do need to lose weight? Maybe I should try and eat less, eat nothing? _These thoughts filled her mind. Everyone knew that since Georgia's intense cancer treatment and radiotherapy- she had lost so much weight through diet, vomiting and the chemicals that roamed her body. But, the comments being made about her made her feel fat and ugly and awkward.

'How have you been lately Georgia? Any career advancements?' John suddenly asked, he glanced at Georgia and spoke in-between mouthfuls of beef

'No' She whispered a quick response

'Georgia has been working really well' Heath again defended his wife yet again.

Suddenly Georgia reached for the bottle of water from the centre of the table; her shaking wrists accidently bumped her father's glass over. John immediately stood up- he pushed the chair away and glared at the spilt wine that was staining his pants a deep rose colour.

'F***ks sake Georgia!' He spat

'John!' Heath growled at the use of language 'Amber, go to your room', the small girl immediately scuttled off to her room upstairs.

Georgia's eyes began to fill with nervous tears as she attempted to clean up the spilt drink off her father's legs.

'My god! You are such a bloody klutz' He muttered before harshly slapping Georgia's arms away from his body

'I'm so sorry, Dad. Please' Georgia pleaded, her eyes widened and glanced at her father nervously

'You spilt wine all over me! All you do is stuff things up, you ****ing bitch' John grunted, he reached out a hand and began to mechanically rub at the spreading crimson stain.

'John, It was an accident. Don't blame Georgie' Heath attempted to intervene

Johns icy eyes stared through Heath, his jaw stiffened and his entire body stood straight 'Don't you dare tell me how to treat my daughter' His voice was low yet shaking with threat.

'Please don't' talk to Heath like that, he was right it was an accident' Georgia sighed lightly- the moment that the words escaped her lips she realized what a mistake they were.

John faced Georgia and raised his palm, he immediately slapped her across the face, and this caused Georgia to stagger backwards in pain. She clutched her face in the palms of her hands and slowly came to a stand 'I'm sorry, you were right… It was my fault' she whispered

'Finnish your dinner' John responded, he sat back down at the table as if nothing had happened, as if he hadn't slapped his daughter.

Heath watched the scene motionlessly, breathlessly… what had just happened

.

Charlie and Brax spent the next two days in the bedroom, though… they were so excited about coming home and sharing the news with everyone. While they were away, they refused to have any further contact with the outside world- nothing else to focus on other than each other.

They drove home in the late afternoon; the sunset was beginning to rise- strips of pastel colours mixed together through the sky

'I'm thinking we should name the kid something really tough like... Buster or Spike' Brax sighed, he glanced at Charlie and winked at her playfully

'Nope! No child of mine is going to have a name like a dog!' she scoffed, Charlie subconsciously placed her hands across her stomach and smiled at Brax

'All right… how about we give them one of those names that famous people name their children like, uhh. Apple! Or Orange, or fruit salad- and we could call her Salad for short'

Charlie's eyes widened in shock 'Salad?' she exclaimed

'I like it' Brax defended

'Oh god… If this was up to you our child would be named after food or a dog' Charlie rolled her eyes

Brax turned the corner and nodded at Charlie 'Yea, all right then. What names do you like, little-miss-no-imagination'

Charlie smirked and looked out the window as she thought about names she liked

'I really like the name Erin'

Brax immediately shook his head 'No'

'Why not?'

'My ex-girlfriend was called Erin, she had a mono-brow… whenever I hear the name Erin it reminds me of her… and her mono-brow' Brax muttered

Charlie stifled a laugh 'That is a shit reason'

'Well, you don't like my names and I don't like yours' He pouted

Charlie put a hand on Brax's thigh 'Ok, how about I pick the first name and you pick the middle name… as long as it's not Salad'

Brax pretended to think about Charlie's proposition- to be honest, he didn't really mind- he was just winding Charlie up.

'Deal' He shook Charlie's hand playfully, she tried to pull her hand away but Brax remained holding it, he quickly pressed a wet kiss on her knuckles before allowing her hand to be released from his grip.

'Ok, Well... If it's a girl I like the name Armani'

'…Like the brand' Brax asked

'Oh yeah... I guess' Charlie shrugged

'So, we can't name the child after food but we can name them after a brand! You might as well call the poor kid Target or McDonalds' Brax teased

Charlie groaned, this name-choosing discussion was exhausting. She let on a smile though, it was normal for married couples to bicker and that's exactly what they were now.

Around an hour later, Brax drove the car into summer bay. They had decided to drop off at Georgia and Heath's house quickly since they hadn't spoken to them in a few days. Charlie was super excited to share their news with the rest of their family.

'Ok, here we are.. Georgie and Heath's house' Brax announced as he pulled up the car onto the street.

They noticed that there was a different car in the driveway.

'Whose car?' Charlie asked as Brax helped her out of the car

'I don't know, its not G or Heaths though' Brax responded

The two of them walked upto the front door arm in arm. Brax knocked on the door quickly and Charlie squealed in excitement.

The front door opened and Heath stood there, he looked withdrawn and exhausted. Heath had dark bags underneath his eyes and he hadn't shaved in at least two days days.

'Hey mate… are you ok?' Brax asked

Charlie peered into the house behind Heath, the curtains were all drawn and it looked dark and cold inside.

'John is back' Heath whispered

'What?" Brax exclaimed

'Who is John?' Charlie asked confused

'Georgia's dad' Heath sighed, he leant against the doorframe and shut his tired eyes

'He was bloody abusive and a shit father to all his kids' Brax added

Charlie suddenly felt guilty for having so much fun over the last few days while her friends had been going through hell back in the bay.

'Is Georgia ok?' Brax asked concerned

'She hasn't been eating, John has been subtly convincing her that she needs to watch her weight' Heath explained 'I can't get her to eat anything other than lettuce and carrot sticks'

'Where is John now?' Charlie asked 'Why don't you ask him to leave?'

'He is down at the beach right now but he is refusing to leave town until he is satisfied with Georgia'

'I want to go see her' Brax shoved past Heath and into Georgia's room.

Heath looked at Charlie and smiled, he decided to change the subject. He invited her inside and the two of them sat on the couch in the frontroom.

'Congratulations on the marriage' Heath smiled

Charlie grinned and blushed 'Thankyou… brother' she teased

Heath groaned 'I can't believe I'm now related to two cops!'

Charlie nudged his arm playfully and decided to tell Heath about their newly discovered news

'I have more news' she smiled slyly

'What?' Heath asked

'You are going to be an uncle in like 8 months' Charlie giggled

Heath immediately laughed in happiness and gave Charlie a light hug.

Meanwhile Brax knocked on Georgia's door slowly, he suddenly felt like a bad friend for never calling her back even after he had seen the 9 missed phone calls.

Brax pushed into the room and saw Georgia sitting on the bed staring mindlessly at the ceiling.

'How is my favorite Callahan girl going?' He winked, attempting to lighten the atmosphere.

Georgia didn't respond. She blinked mindlessly and ignored Brax's presence.

Brax sat on the edge of the bed with a sigh and he allowed his arms to fall around Georgia's body.

'Why aren't you talking to me G?' Brax murmered

Georgia looked at Brax 'you never called me back; when my dad arrived I was so scared and I…' she took a shaking breath 'I really wanted to talk to you'

Brax kissed her cheek and hugged her close 'I'm so sorry, I'm really really sorry' Brax apologized

Georgia shrugged his arms off her and looked away.

'Charlie is pregnant' Brax tried to get her to smile

Georgia shrugged lightly and pushed her hair behind her ears 'Cool' she whispered in a fragile voice

'Callahan! Where has my beautiful friend's witty attitude gone?' Brax asked, Georgia had changed so much and everyone missed her cheerful arrogance.

'I'm so scared of him' Georgia suddenly admitted 'I really want my dad to leave'

'Then we will get him to leave, I promise' Brax lied next to Georgia on the bed and put his arms around her shivering body.

'Do you think I'm fat?' she asked after a while of silence passed,

'No' Brax responded

Georgia nodded but didn't believe it.

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.**WOW! please review beautifuls!**

**I hope you enjoyed the chapter,**

**One more Callahan is coming to town.. .but LOTS OF CHAX GOODNESS IS COMING UP!**

**Xoxox Thankyou for sticking by this story**


	15. Lunch Punch

**:( not as many review as usual butt! For those of you who did review or even just read Thankyou Thankyou beautifuls! I hope you enjoy this next chapter, its set a few days after the last chapter and it's the day of a big lunch with the Braxton-Buckton-Callahan's (including John- Georgia's dad)**

**You may want to recap quickly on Georgia's family (Herself, Tegan, Brother- Matt and another sister called Kenzie aswell as her father John)**

**XOXOXO**

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'Are you sure that this is a good idea?' Charlie asked nervously, she continued to mix a saucepan of custard as Brax sat on the counter eating an apple.

Brax nodded 'Uh no' he then smirked, Charlie's worried eyes glanced at him quickly and she paused the mixing, her jittery hands clasped together over the ladle. Brax rolled his eyes ' But… Heath is scared shitless of Georgie's dad; I said that we will spend lunchtime with them just to keep Mr. C inline'

Charlie nodded in reluctant agreement. They had offered to make dessert and Brax had insisted that they cook a custard dish- apparently it's a favorite in the Braxton family. 'Plus, I have called up one of Georgia's siblings to come over for the weekend just to keep her company until we can boot John out of the house' Brax added

'Oh, ok… what is she like? A bitch like Tegan? Or more of a flirt like G?'

Brax raised an eyebrow and took a quick bite of his apple 'It's a _he'_

Charlie's eyes widened. She had always imagined Georgia's family to be a clan of women. 'Uh, ok… well, what's he like?'

'A male-19 year old version of Georgia' Brax responded immediately with a wink 'Why don't you call Ruby up and invite her over for lunch as well, she may get along with Matt'

Charlie nodded, she hadn't seen Ruby since before they got married so it would be a nice idea to see her and tell her about their new progress… pregnancy and all. Brax watched at his wife cooked up a custard, he enjoyed watching her be the domestic goddess even though it was a known fact that she couldn't cook (Brax had purchased a store-made cake just incase Charlie's meal turned out to taste worse than her usual crappy usual) The current scene made Brax feel excited that this was their life now. Married, expecting a baby and being all stereotypically married by baking together in the kitchen.

'Are you just going to stare at me or come help me bake these custards?' Charlie wiggled her hips and smiled at Brax. He slid off the bench and wrapped his arms around her waist, Brax nestled his head in the crook of her neck and placed kisses up her shoulder blade and neck. 'I'll help you stir' he slowly took hold of the ladle in Charlie's hands and moved it around the pot.

'Brax!' Charlie giggled, her body was electrified by his touch and she couldn't help but respond to his body's pressure with a faint moan.

'No, no distractions' she giggled, reluctantly shaking him off her body.

Brax pouted but took hold of the empty tray off the bench and he began to spray it with oil. 'Ok, serious masterchef time. We have 2 hours until we need to be at Georgia's house' Brax instructed

Charlie nodded in agreement and grabbed the phone off the hook on the wall. 'I'll call Ruby and ask her to come and you continue to cook' Charlie instructed, her brunette ponytail shook as she spoke energetically. Brax was relieved that Charlie had decided to go call Ruby in the living room- it would give him time to attempt to save the dessert that Charlie had begun to make, he glanced into the pot and immediately grimaced at the sight of the lumpy chunks of custard that hovered on the surface of the pot. Brax grabbed a spatula and tried to mix the lumps into the paste. There was no saving it. Brax knew that he couldn't serve a lumpy-baked custard to his entire family, sacrifices had to be made. He grabbed the pot and allowed it to drop onto the floor, the metal made a loud clashing noise as it reacted with the ground, Brax allowed a smile to peek through when he saw the yellow mixture tip out of the pot. He could just tell Charlie that in his "clumsiness" he accidently tipped it over- it would save any awkward confessions and Brax having to actually tell Charlie that… well that she was a shitty cook.

Charlie bounced into the room when she heard the loud clattering noise a moment before, her mouth dropped as she saw the custard that she had cooked spilt on the floor.

'What happened?' She asked

'I dropped the custard, my fault' Brax said smoothly

'Oh no- I guess I can make some more?' Charlie offered, reaching for the saucepan

'No' Brax immediately snapped 'I uh… I mean, no' he corrected himself 'I can go buy a cake on the way' Brax added

'Oh ok… if you are sure… I was really looking forward to trying the custard though' she whined

'Trust me, you are not missing out on anything special' Brax smirked under his breath as his mind flashed to images of the weird lumpy concoction that Charlie had prepared

'Huh?' Charlie asked

'Huh?' Brax repeated

'What did you say?' Charlie asked suspiciously

'Nothing'

'Tell me'

'Nothing to tell'

'Brax!'

'Charlie'

'Brax!'

'You can't cook' Brax finally admitted under pressure 'I tipped over the saucepan on purpose' he glanced up at Charlie, prepared for her reaction. Her lips quivered until she began to laugh, her mouth was frozen in a cheeky grin and small giggles escaped her lips.

'You are so cute! You were to nervous to just tell me that I am a shitty cook, babe… we are married now so we should be able to tell each other these sorts of things'

'So you don't care…. That I tipped over your custard' Brax checked, his voice drawled out slowly

'Nah, I could see the chunky bits of custard forming I just didn't say anything because I wanted to see how long it would take for you to say something to me about it' Charlie smiled cheekily

'Oh' was all he could think of to say

'Plus' Charlie sighed with a wink 'There are plenty of things that _you_ can't do'

Brax scoffed 'Like what?'

'Vacuuming…' Charlie began to list things

'Well its not like vacuuming is a life skill' he defended

'…Grocery shop'

'Uh says who? Anyone can grocery shop?' Brax laughed, his eyes widened in shock and playfulness

'You only buy beer and chips' Charlie retorted blankly

'Ok! Well… you can't…' Brax racked his brain for something- anything! Anything that his seemingly perfect wife couldn't do.

'You can't be rude' Brax finally smirked

Charlie gasped with mock shock. 'I can'

'No you cannot!" Brax chuckled

'Yeah I can you… you mean-man' she attempted to sound aggressive. Brax chuckled at her innocent and tame choice of words

'You… ass?' she tried

'My mum can swear better than that' Brax tickled her ribs playfully

'You dick'

'Not very rude…'Brax teased

'You bitch'

'Oh, so horrible!' Brax giggled at her efforts

Charlie frowned 'Fine! I am not good at being rude… but, if that's my worst trait I think I'm doing pretty well' she smirked; Brax smiled and linked his arms around her waist. He leant into her mouth and pressed a light kiss onto her lips before resting his forehead against hers. 'I think you are ok' He whispered in a husky voice

'Jerk' Charlie's breathed

'Ay, we are getting ruder! I'm impressed' Brax teased before loosely releasing his arms from around her body. 'Come on, lets go get ready' Charlie insisted, she dragged Brax's body into the bedroom.

Brax sat in the front seat of the car; Charlie was seated next to him holding the store-bought cake in her lap. They were driving to the train station to pick up Ruby and Georgia's brother Matt.

Charlie slid her hand onto Brax's thigh, she squeezed his thigh excitedly and shone him an excited smile.

'This is going to be fun, We haven't had a family day since…well I can't even remember the last time we have all gotten together' Charlie beamed

Brax nodded and stared into the distance, he spotted the train station around 100 metres ahead. 'Yeah, uhhm... Ruby's train should be getting here at 12:30? Right?' Brax checked with Charlie

'Yer in like 10 minutes' she grinned; her hands tapped an upbeat tune on the door. 'When does Matt's train arrive?' Charlie asked

'He texted me a couple of minutes ago to say that it already arrived' Brax responded

'Is Georgia's other sister coming?' Charlie asked curiously, remembering that Brax said Matt had a twin sister

'Nah, Kenzie is in a crazy busy period at Uni and… well… she doesn't really want to come down' Brax murmered awkwardly

'Why?' Charlie asked, unsure of why someone wouldn't want to see their family and come for a visit Brax looked at Charlie and gave her a funny look; 'She doesn't want to see John' Charlie nodded 'None of them do…' Brax added quietly

Charlie plastered a smile across her face 'Don't worry, not even a dick like John will ruin this lunch'

'Yeah, you are right' Brax nodded in an agreement, he kissed Charlie's forehead and parked the car opposite the station. He appreciated how upbeat and happy Charlie was able to be, she made the tense and bad situations seem ok. Brax peered out the window- hoping to spot Matt.

Suddenly an attractive young boy grinned and gave a casual wave in their direction. Charlie noticed how good-looking he was with his dark-brown hair and extremally tan skin.

'Is that him?' She whispered to Brax

'Yeah, that's Matt' Brax nodded, he waved at Matt and leant over to unlock the back door for him.

'He is cute' Charlie smirked

'Oy' Brax pushed her playfully

'_Cute_, babe… he is too young for me' Charlie kissed Brax's lips quickly before sliding back into her own seat.

Matt suddenly poked his head into the car; he had a cheeky grin on his face and immediately slid into the spare seat.

'Brax! It's been ages' He leant over and gave Brax a quick loose hug.

'Matt, this is my _wife _Charlie' Brax couldn't help feeling excited that he got to introduce her as his wife, Charlie bit her lip eagerly as she heard Brax address her as his wife instead of girlfriend

'Wow, you have certainly improved since Tegan' Matt joked, his fist nudging Brax lightly.

'I definitely have' Brax agreed

'Well, its lovely to meet you Matt' Charlie shook his outstretched hand, Matt didn't release her hand and instead he pressed a quick kiss on her knuckles resulting in Charlie giggling at his flirtatious behavior.

'Uh, Matt! Need, I remind you that she is my wife' Brax wiggled his eyebrows

'Haha, sorry… I'm just messing with you' Matt apologized to Charlie with a cheeky grin

'Its fine' Charlie insisted, she glanced at Brax 'Its nice to see that some men still know how to treat a woman' Charlie joked as she batted her eyelashes playfully

'A 19year old kid is making me look bad!' Brax exclaimed

Both Matt and Charlie laughed at Brax's comment. Charlie squeezed Brax's hand quickly and leant on his shoulder as they waited for Ruby to arrive.

'Who are we waiting for?' Matt asked curiously, leaning back in the car seat

'My daughter, Ruby… she is catching the train in from Uni' Charlie explained

'Oh, cool… more people for my dad to offend' Matt muttered dryly, already imagining the upcoming lunch with all these new family members interacting with his cruel father.

'Matt, your dad won't say anything... ok? He won't do or say anything… I won't let him' Brax nodded firmly.

Charlie turned around slowly and frowned as she noticed how worried Matt was looking. She boy that she had just met, seemed flirty and charismatic but she could tell that he was very worried about the upcoming event… it seemed like everyone who met John were scarred and manipulated by him. Charlie smiled at Matt and tried to lighten the mood, 'So, surely a handsome young man like you would have a girlfriend?' She teased

Matt flashed her a smile 'I did for two years but I broke up with her a couple of weeks ago, I caught her cheating on me'

'Oh, that's harsh… girls can be complete-' Brax began to respond

Charlie coughed heavily and gave Brax a heavy stare to stop him from offending women.

'_Some _girls can be bitches' Brax corrected himself

'Yeah, but its ok. I'm over her already' Matt brushed the conversation topic off.

Charlie nodded and turned her focus to the front of the car, she suddenly squealed with excitement making Brax jump in shock. Ruby was walking out of the station towards their car. She was dragging her suitcases behind her and seemingly struggling with the heavy load.

'I'll go help her with her bags' Brax offered, reaching to open the door

'No, you stay... I'll help' Matt climbed out of the seat and Brax watched him jog upto Ruby.

Matt smiled at her nervously and Ruby glanced at Charlie reluctantly, unsure of whom this charming man was. Both Charlie and Brax nodded energetically and flashed Ruby a thumbs up.

'I'm Matt, Georgia's brother' He reached out an arm to shake her hand. Ruby smiled shyly and accepted the handshake.

'I'm Ruby'

'Well, Ruby… One thing I have learnt from having three sisters is that it's a mans duty to help carry the luggage' Matt reached out a hand and grabbed hold of one of Ruby's suitcases. Ruby blushed at his forward gesture.

'Its ok, I can manage...'

'I know you can, but I want to help' Matt responded before beginning to wheel the suitcase towards the car.

Once Matt and Ruby were back in the car, Charlie leant over and gave Ruby a kiss on the forehead. Brax started up the car and they began to drive towards Heath and Georgia's house.

'How is everyone?' Ruby asked breathlessly, snuggling into the cushioned seat.

'Married and… pregnant' Charlie smiled slyly

Ruby's eyes widened at the news and she allowed a slow shocked laugh to escape her open lips.

'Oh my god!'

'Congratulations Charlie, Brax. Finally the new generation of river-boys can be born' Matt added

'What if it's a girl?' Ruby cocked an eyebrow and smiled smugly at Matt

'Well, they can become a new breed of river-girls' He smirked in response.

'No, no no… our children are going to be on the right side of the law… unlike their father' Charlie laughed

Brax scoffed and glanced at Charlie quickly before focusing on the road ahead. 'I was a perfect child, perfect teenager, perfect-' he defended himself

'Bullshit!' Matt called out from the backseat, 'Don't think that I have forgotten all those times that you, Heath and Tegan used to-' he began to recall Brax's "illegal" childhood activities

'Matt! Lets keep those stories to ourselves!' Brax interrupted quickly, his face blushing with embarrassment. Charlie stifled a laugh and shot Matt a quick look of curiosity through the rear-view mirror, Matt noticed but merely acted out himself zipping his lips together.

'No fair! I wanted to hear all about Brax's illegal childhood' Charlie pouted

'You may want to wait until you have a bit more alcohol in you' Matt joked.

Brax pulled up out the front of Heath and Georgia's house. The car suddenly grew quiet with nerves; Brax grabbed the bottle of wine from the boot of the car before helping Charlie out of her seat. Matt apprehensively got out of the car but he was reluctant to walk closer to the door. Ruby stood next to Matt, her body subconsciously fidgeting as she waited for everyone to make a move.

'Lets go' Brax broke the silence; he walked up to the front door.

'Matt! Charlie! Rubz! Come one' Brax whispered harshly, hurrying everyone upto the doorstep.

Brax knocked on the door quickly before putting an arm around Charlie's waist protectively. The door swung open and Heath put on a smile. He had managed to shave since the last time they had seen him and he was wearing a dark button-up shirt instead of his usual wife-beater singlet.

'Hey, Heath. How is my sister treating you?' Matt asked with a grin, he gave Heath a quick hug before walking through the doorway. Everyone greeted Heath, not breathing a word about John's whereabouts. Charlie scanned the room but she couldn't see John or Georgia, she frowned lightly… not knowing what to imagine John as being like.

'I can't get Georgia to come downstairs; all she does is sleeps and goes on jogs early morning. She doesn't eat, she doesn't talk to me...' Heath explained to Brax

'It'll be fine, Matt will go have a chat to her' Brax patted Heath on the back warmly and passed him the cake and bottle of wine. Charlie clung her arm around Brax nervously; she rested her jaw on his shoulder and nestled into the gap between his neck and shoulder. Brax watched as Heath collapsed onto the couch, Amber snuggled into his body- her head resting on Heath's thigh. Ruby was sitting on an armchair fiddling with her purse, unsure of whom to talk to or what to say… family reunions and events with the Buckton-Braxton-Callahan clan were usually joyous and full of laughter but this scene was plain cringe worthy, no one was speaking. It was like a year 10 dance, lots of emotions but everyone all nervous and distant.

'Oy Heath, where is Georg? I'm just going to go say hello to her' Matt broke the silence and rose from his seat uncomfortably

Heath didn't respond for a moment, he kept his eyes closed and ignored Matt's question.

'Heath…' Matt asked slowly

'Upstairs' Heath spoke bluntly, he stroked Amber's hair softly and didn't move. Matt nodded in thanks and jogged up the stairs.

'This is pathetic' Brax suddenly spoke; everyone's eyes (including Heath) went on him. 'Guys! We are supposed to be the fun family, we can't let John ruin a good-ole-family lunch" Brax continued with a smile. Charlie nodded and grinned at Ruby, 'Yeah! Brax is right; I'll grab the wine… Lets get this party started" Charlie grabbed the bottle of wine that they had brought and she poured it into enough glasses for everyone.

'Where is Grandpa John?' Amber asked Heath quietly, her doe eyes widened with curiosity.

'He went to go grab some bread from the bakery' Heath sighed, he had sent John to the bakery that morning- hoping that giving him that task would keep him out of the house for a couple of hours. Heath had gritted his teeth when John accepted the task with a smile and joke, he hated how John was able to change emotions so easily- from angry and psychotic and abusive to a joking persona… it just seemed fake.

Upstairs Matt knocked on Georgia's door slowly, he had heard from both Brax and Heath that she was slowly fading away- not talking, eating or interacting with anyone in anyway. Matt didn't hear a reply from inside the room so he slowly pushed it open.

'How is my favorite sister going?' He winked with outstretched arms. Georgia was sitting on the edge of the bed, her fragile arms were resting in her lap and she was staring at the wall. For a split second it looked like she was happy to see her brother but a second later her face was back to its blank canvas look, emotionless and distant. Her eyes seemed to stare through everything.

'I don't know… ask Kenz' She murmered, not meeting his eyes

Matt's look softened when he realized that she really was in a bad place. 'We all know that Kenzie isn't my favorite' Matt teased, he slung an arm around Georgia's slender frame- her protruding bones jabbed into his arm '…And no one likes Tegan' he laughed pressing a quick kiss onto her forehead. Georgia didn't respond, she slightly nodded but didn't show any emotion in her movements, she was like a brick wall… a skinny, damaged brick wall.

'You used to laugh at my jokes' he pouted

Georgia lighly smiled for the first time in weeks 'They were never funny' her shaky voice responded

Matt accepted her slowly coming out of her shell and he tried to pry further 'How is Dad treating you? Has he hurt you?'

Georgia froze as her mind flashed to the previous days and nights.

'Georgie…'

'Not much' She responded bluntly

Matt swallowed the ball of anger that arose in his throat; he hated knowing that his father was so horrible and abusive to his family. He decided to change the subject, hoping to get Georgia to smile.

'So… I met Brax's wife' he smiled

'Charlie' Georgia's faint voice echoed

'Yeah, she and Brax seem so happy… It's nice that he has finally found the person that brings the best out in him. Tegan turned him into a rebellious-gangsta but with Charlie it seems like she has made him more alive and law-abiding.' Matt smiled

Georgia scoffed lightly 'You got all that from the 1 hour you have spent with them?'

'Cheeky girl' Matt shoved her arm playfully. 'Come downstairs with me, everyone wants to see you' he said softly

Georgia stiffened and looked away. Her hands fumbled together in her lap and her shoulders caved in, hiding herself away.

'Georgie girl…' Matts voice spoke softly 'John won't hurt you, I won't let him… Heath won't let him, Brax won't let him… **No one** will let him even lay a hand on you'

Georgia paused for a moment before standing up slowly; she took Matt's hand in her own and slowly walked down the stairs towards the living room.

Brax smiled as he saw Georgia come down, he caught her in a large hug and pressed a kiss to her forehead. Georgia stood closely to Matt and she smiled at Heath lightly. Heath frowned for a moment, he was upset that for countless days he had tried to get Georgia to come downstairs but nothing had worked and the second that Georgia's brother comes, he is able to persuade her to come and join in downstairs.

'Ok, how about some food?' Ruby grinned, coming to a stand. Heath reluctantly nodded and silently ushered everyone into the dining room. Georgia sat next to Heath and Matt, Charlie and Brax snuggled together at the opposite end of the table and Ruby sat opposite Amber leaving a single space for John. _Speak of the devil_. John swaggered through the door with an unnerving grin plastered on his face.

'Matthew, I didn't know you were coming' John said slowly

'I didn't know that you still remembered my name' Matt spat back with an icy glare.

'I will always remember my failures' John whipped back

'I thought that there would be too many for you to keep track of' Matt growled, the atmosphere filled up with a consuming tension

John suddenly laid eyes on Charlie whom was attempting to dodge his eye contact.

'Why, who is this?' He sauntered towards Charlie, Brax put a hand over her waist protectively and he ignored Johns advancing movements.

'My wife' He stated bluntly

'What a pretty lady' his sickening voice purred

'Go sit down Dad….' Matt interrupted slowly ass he noticed the way Charlie was trembling under his father's aggressive gaze. John ignored his sons demand and he leant against the table next to Charlie's body.

'I never thought that Brax would actually get such a beautiful woman' his mouth turned into a growling smile 'Can I be expecting any future Braxton's?' He nodded towards Charlie's slender abdomen. Brax stiffened at the comment and He pulled Charlie closer towards his body.

'None of your business'

John laughed slowly, his burning snicker ripped through the silence of the room. 'Brax, can't help knocking women up!'

'Shut-up!' Ruby exclaimed from her seat, she now understood why everyone hated this man so much- he was so blatantly rude

'And who are you?' John growled, he hit his fist on the wall making the entire room vibrate from the harsh sensation

'My daughter…' Charlie sighed, she just wanted to have a nice lunch, but the building tension was growing unbearable.

John snickered to himself, he ran a hand through his thinning hand 'Well then, maybe I should correct my earlier statement… _Charlie just can't help being knocked up'_

Charlie gasped at the harshness of the statement. Brax came to a stand, anger was bubbling in his body, he wouldn't let anyone get away with offending his wife. He clenched his fist and launched a single punch into John's face, John fell backwards and staggered towards the wall before falling to the ground.

'What a dick' Brax muttered

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**Hey! Hope you enjoyed, tell me what you thought of Matt? He will probz be around for just a couple of chapters. Finally someone stands up to John! (Go Brax!) Next chapter will **_**probably **_**be the 2****nd**** part of the lunch and continued on from then…. Please review, I love hearing your thoughts xoxoxo**

**Have a nice week everyone**


	16. Goodbye Georgia

**Thankyou for the positive response for last chapter! I love how detailed your reviews are! I just wanted to say that part of this chapter talks about depression and eating disorders, I have planned this chapter from the start and I hope that you don't find the conversation to overboard. I have done research into the effects and causes of the "issue" and I feel that it shows you just how much people can change and fall apart in difficult situations. But, enough with the serious talk! Please enjoy this chapter beautifuls! XOXO **

**(Remember that the lunch is a few WEEKS after chax got back from their honeymoon at the cabin) xx**

**(It's a little less focused on chax but please please review, this was a difficult chapter to write and I promise that the next chapters will be full of lovely chax)**

**Btw, this chapter is a little bit shorter than usual sorry!**

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"_**Please don't believe me when I say I'm ok  
>Look a little deeper for the words that I can't say<br>I'm too small to stand alone, I sure could use a friend  
>Help me learn to trust someone again<br>Don't leave me  
>Please don't believe me"<strong>_

**.**

Brax smiled to himself, he was glad that he finally had an excuse to punch that wretched man in the face. Brax quickly scanned the room to see everyone's reactions. Charlie's eyes were widened with shock and she was clinging to the back of Brax's shirt. Heath was holding Amber comforting the small girl, trying to quieten her confused sobs.

'Nice work Brax' Matt smirked, breaking the silence. Everyone slowly nodded in a dazed agreement, John was still knocked out on the ground and no one seemed to notice.

'Someone put him on a bed upstairs…. I want to finish lunch' Heath instructed

'…We can't just leave him on the floor?' Matt smirked with a playful wink

Brax nudged Matt lightly and chuckled 'We wouldn't want anyone to trip over him'

'Boys!' Charlie stated pointedly, she stared at Brax as if to tell him to act mature and take control of the situation. Brax rolled his eyes and stood back up, he dragged his legs over to a collapsed John. 'I'll check he is alive' He muttered, Brax stared at John's silent body- his face was pale with an already swelling cheekbone that had turned a marble of purple and blue colours. He leant across to the table with an exaggerated sigh and picked up his half-drunken bottle of beer, Brax turned it upside down and allowed the sticky, chilled alcohol to tip across John's face. He slowly awakened with a splutter and gagging cough. 'He is alive' Brax rolled his eyes and gave John a quick kick in the leg.

'You punched me!' John's husky voice growled as he sluggishly opened his eyes into a squint

'_You _have done much worse' Brax scoffed, crossing his arms across his chest firmly

John suddenly scowled at the liquid that had dribbled down his chest. 'Is this beer? Did you pour _beer_ on me?' he glared

'I prefer to call it _lager' _Brax smirked sarcastically

John growled at the joke and slowly unfolded his body into a strained stance. He took a step forward towards Brax with a clenched fist.

'You touch him and you have me to deal with' Charlie spat, her eyes glaring at John

'A pretty girl like you wouldn't lay a hand on me' John smirked with an unsettling wink

Heath looked across to Georgia who was huddling over and shaking nervously.

'Georgie, are you ok?' Heath whispered as Brax continued to bicker with John.

Matt noticed Heath attempting to talk to Georgia so he decided to help 'G, do you want to go upstairs and talk?' he asked sweetly, rubbing her arm comfortingly

Heath suddenly glared at Matt 'She is _my _wife. She can talk to me' he snapped, jealous of how Georgia was confiding in her brother over Heath

'Yeah… she is _my _sister' Matt murmered- confused of why Heath sounded angry

'She should be talking to me! She should be listening to me! God dammit! Matt, you arrived after not visiting for ages- you don't come visit when she has been shot, you don't visit when she is going through chemo and battling cancer that almost killed her…' Heath cried angrily

Suddenly the colour drained from Matt's face and his eyes widened 'Wait… cancer?'

Georgia looked up and stared at Heath 'I never told my family about my cancer' she whispered. Heath swallowed awkwardly and felt his stomach drop; he had just made things worse and more awkward for Georgia and her family.

'Great! More lieing! F***'s sake Georgia, can't you just be honest' Heath groaned, he raised his arms in insistence

'Heath, mate… calm down' Brax called out in a soothing tone, he could see his brother getting worked up over the situation and Georgia was becoming even more scared

'Shut-up Brax!' Heath growled before whipping his head back to face Georgia 'You are never open with me, you always lie, you always tell other people about the things that are bothering you' Heath shouted, his voice was loud and angry and everyone could see Georgia shaking and cowering over with fear.

'Heath!' Matt interrupted furiously, he knew that Heath's angry voice was just reminding Georgia of her father- when he would get drunk and abusive with her.

'Everyone shut-up!' Heath cried angrily, he knocked over a glass in rage and ignored the splinters of glass that smashed across the kitchen floor. Ruby gasped as the glass almost landed near her legs. Matt noticed and he glared at Heath 'Heath, I can see that you are angry but there is no reason to be violent' Matt insisted, he put a hand on Ruby's shoulder comfortingly and kicked the glass away from her legs.

'I am not the violent one! That bastard is!' Heath shouted, he pointed at John and growled through his clenched teeth. Georgia began to cry louder, she collapsed into her chair and held her head in her hands.

'You are scaring her!' Charlie shouted

Heath looked at Charlie and frowned 'Stay out of this' he snarled

'Heath…' Brax stated warily, he took a cautious step towards his brother

'No! All of you need to shut-up! I'm talking to my wife' Heath spat

Matt rolled his eyes in exhaustion 'No you are not. _My sister _does not deserve to be shouted at, you may be her husband but that doesn't mean you are allowed to treat her with such anger… just… just calm down Heath. Ruby, can you take Georgia upstairs and I'll talk to you guys' Matt nodded towards Brax and Charlie.

Ruby nodded and slowly walked towards Georgia's shaking figure, her arched back showed the outline of her protruding spine as she sniffed and stifled back tears into her hands. Ruby took Georgia's hand and she took her upstairs 'Amber, sweetie… come with me' Ruby gave a wobbly smile and the little doe-eyed girl followed her mum and Ruby upstairs. Heath collapsed into a chair breathlessly and Brax took a step towards John.

Suddenly Brax spoke; he looked at John and held him by the collar of his shirt. Brax tightened his grip on the material of the shirt- the tautness of the fabric around his skin made John splutter and struggle to breathe. 'Leave this house now, or I swear I will do a lot more than just punch you' Brax's gruff voice growled into John's ear.

'This… is… my… family…dick' John managed to croak in-between heaving breaths as Brax's grip tightened around his neck.

'No. This _was _your family. You have no family left **John**' Matt snapped 'Leave this house or I swear… this time it will be my fist in your face'

Brax aggressively let go of John, allowing him to take quick wheezing breaths.

'Get out' Heath added, unable to even look at John because of how disgusted he felt about the man;

John snickered at everyone before stumbling out of the house; everyone else took deep breaths and tried to comprehend everything that had happened. Brax went over to Charlie and pulled her into a tight hug, he stroked her back comfortingly and kissed her temple softly.

Brax looked at Matt and nodded for him to come over. Matt slowly swaggered over to Brax and he looked at Heath warily before sitting on the seat opposite Brax and beginning to talk.

'You want to know why Georgia talks to me more than you?' Matt asked slowly, he nodded towards Heath's hunched figure.

Heath merely nodded and shrugged, he was embarrassed and ashamed of how he had treated his wife.

'Georgia and I went through the same thing'

'The abuse…' Charlie guessed curiously

Matt half nodded and bit his lower lip. 'Uh... yeah but… Georgia was worse off than us'

'How?' Brax asked, not understanding what Matt was implying. Charlie rested her head on Brax's shoulder and snuggled into his body

'…She… ' Matt struggled to explain how horrible Georgia's home life had been.

Heath looked up at Matt and pursed his lips together 'She could tell me about the abuse and stuff, I would have understood…'

Suddenly Matt's quiet face tightened and he appeared almost angry. 'You understand?' He scoffed 'did you ever get abused by your father? Did you ever hide under your bed because you were afraid that if you came out your father would beat you?' Matt paused; he stared through Heath's shocked figure. 'Because Georgia did' he added

Charlie choked on her own breath, she felt nauseous as she imagined how horrible her friends childhood must have been.

'Did you ever have to wear long-sleeved shirts for months on end to hide the bruises that covered your arms? Did you… ever…' Matt took a shaky breath as he remembered the most horrible factor of all that Georgia had to go through

Heath and Brax both noticed that Matt had paused. They watched at he struggled to find a way to say the last point.

'What is it….'? Brax asked slowly 'What else happened to her?'

Matt looked up at Brax with sad eyes, he clenched his jaw to prevent himself from crying and he tried to continue 'Georgia wasn't able to deal with any of the abuse, but she… she _really_ struggled with all the emotional put-downs from dad and she ended up not eating, and after a while I realized that something was really wrong…'

'Georgia had anorexia' Charlie said breathlessly with realization

Matt nodded sadly 'And I'm really scared that she might be headed towards that same path… because you guys said that she hasn't touched any food in a couple of weeks and she has been so wrapped up in everything with her dad'

Brax nodded solemnly 'Mm, only salad every few days' he remembered from what Heath had told him.

Heath suddenly looked up and slowly moved forward 'Oh my god. What do we do?' he muttered quietly, only just understanding the full extent of Georgia's mental wellbeing.

Brax didn't know what to say, he kissed Charlie's head lighly as he noticed concerned tears welling underneath her eyes.

Brax allowed memories from the previous weeks to flood his head; hardly ever had he seen Georgia- and if he had, she would have been motionless, frail, exhausted and not spoken a word. Something was wrong.

Charlie widened her eyes 'I think I know what you need to do' She stated boldly

Heath glanced up at Charlie, inviting her to continue.

'Georgia will hate this but… I think that since there are obvious physical signs of depression and maybe an eating disorder Georgia needs an immediate form of therapy to help her try to recover and, I read about this clinic on the outskirts of Yabby Creek- its for people dealing with mental difficulties and it also specializes in eating disorders'

Heath nodded lightly and gave himself a moment to process what Charlie had stated.

'It's a good idea mate… I think it would be good for Georgia to go' Brax added calmly

'Is it like a rehab?' Matt asked

'Um, kind of… more like a clinic, but yeah... the patients do have to stay within the facilities so that the staff can monitor their progress' Charlie added

'Georgia won't want to go' Brax tried to make a joke 'You know how much she loves her friends and family, she will say no.''

Charlie nodded and looked at Heath 'I know. That's why they get the patients spouses or parents to forcefully admit them. So… if Heath wants to, he can call up and make the clinic mandatory for Georgia'

Heath bit his lip nervously; he never thought that having John arrive would change his life so much. The memories when Georgia was happy seemed so distant from now… life was like a cold challenge, every day had something new to fight and Heath was tired to fighting… he wanted everything to go back to normal.

'Ok, I'll go talk to her'

Suddenly Brax stood up 'Hold on. Are you being serious? We can't just send Georgia away?'

Heath's saddened eyes glanced up at Brax and he pouted lightly 'Its not going to get better' he murmered

Brax stiffened; he wanted his best friend back. They couldn't just send her away to an institution, hoping that she would return to her normal self. Charlie tried to stroke Brax's back to sooth him but he shrugged her hand away.

'Come on Heath, we have known Georgia since she was rocking braces in primary school. Hell, I knew her when she bought her first bra! She isn't this type of person, she won't survive being locked away' Brax insisted

Matt looked at Brax and wiped his eyes fiercely to eliminate the wet tears that were welling at his eyes. He clenched his fists and relaxed onto the seat 'Brax, this is my sister… she needs help'

Heath stood up strongly; he put on a brave face and smiled stiffly at Brax, Matt and Charlie. The year had held so much drama, death, love, children, laughs and cries but this seemed like the toughest of them all because throughout everything Heath had had Georgia to help him remain strong. But, now he had to tell his wife that she had to go to a clinic and even if she insisted and said no, he would have to remain strong and tell her that it wasn't her decision because if Georgia didn't get help now, she would continue to drift away until their was nothing left.

'I'll call up the clinic' Charlie whispered, she squeezed Heath's hand encouragingly and walked towards her handbag to get her mobile.

'Do you want me to come with you to talk to her?' Brax asked softly, unsure if his brother could handle the oncoming situation.

'Uhhm, no, no I'll be fine' Heath stated weakly, he turned around and began to walk up the stairs

'Bring her downstairs Heath, we can tell her together' Matt smiled sadly; he could sense that Heath didn't want to tell Georgia on his own.

Heath nodded silently.

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Georgia wandered downstairs quietly, her thin arms were crossed across her chest defensibly and her hollow eyes were staring at Brax curiously. Heath reached for Georgia's hand but she flinched him away, her body was still getting scared over physical contact.

'What's going on?' She asked weakly, she scanned the dining room where Brax and Matt were currently staring at her sadly.

Heath took a deep breath and ran his hands through his hair nervously.

'I'll start' Brax nodded

'Start what?' Georgia murmered defensively, she shook her tangled hair over her shoulders and stared at everyone warily.

'Georgie-girl, I love you ok? But, this' he nodded towards Georgia's frail and exhausted body 'this is not you, you need help'

'Help from what?' Georgia scoffed, she pushed her hair behind her ears as an anxious reflex, Heath took a step closer to her and he reached a hand towards her arm before rethinking his decision and quickly putting his hand back down his side.

'Babe, you are sick' Heath told her as softly as his worried voice could manage

'I got rid of my ***king cancer, I'm not flipping sick anymore' She snapped defensively, Georgia took a step backwards until her back was resting into the corner of the room, she was extremally confused of what was going on.

'G, will you eat something for me?' Brax gave Georgia a sad smile

She immedialty darted her eyes towards the floor and stiffened, Brax watched as her face paled- he knew what her answer would be.

'I'm not hungry' she stammered quietly

'Ok, but you haven't eaten anything in days' Brax added calmly

'Weeks' Heath corrected

Georgia scoffed loudly and glared at Heath 'I have so!'

'… No you haven't' Matt muttered

Georgia felt her breathing quicken as she heard everyone's opinion be voiced about her not eating. _I don't eat, but that's only because I'm fat, I'm ugly and disgusting _Georgia thought as she self-consciously hugged her body.

'Charlie has called up a clinic for you and I want you to go there… just until you can get back to your normal self' Heath told her cautiously

'No' Georgia snapped 'I'm not going anywhere' she added in a flustered tone

Brax watched as Heath nervously fiddled with his hands, he wasn't sure what to say next. How could he break his wives heart and order her to go to an unknown facility with unknown people and sleep in an unknown bed, it was all too… unknown.

'I'll visit you every day, I promise' Heath persuaded

'What? No! I'm not going to your flipping clinic! I'm perfectly fine' She cried, tears began to well at her nervous eyes.

Charlie walked back into the room and her eyes widened as she saw Georgia whimpering in the corner of the room, obviously petrified of hat was going on.

'I just got off the phone with the clinic and they have a spot for Georgia… you can drive her up tonight' Charlie whispered to Heath subtly. Heath's breathing halted as he took in the information, he didn't realize that it would be so quick, he thought that he would have a few days to allow the information to sink in. It was all happening so fast.

'Georgie, Its ok… we are only trying to help' Matt told his crying sister

'I'm not going!' She wept, he body collapsed into a huddled position on the floor and she held her shaking body.

Heath swallowed and took a step closer, he crouched in front of Georgia's body and he took her reluctant hands in his own. 'I'm driving you to the clinic right now. Brax will drop off your clothes for you later and I promise you that I will stay the night and visit every single day with Amber' Heath instructed her

Georgia shook Heath's hands away and she peered up at him with a nervous pout, her eyes were red and swollen from crying and her voice was weak 'Please, please don't make me go'

Heath stroked her hair slowly 'I'm so sorry' his heat broke

Georgia's mouth quivered and she nestled her body further into the wall 'I don't want to go' she whispered through choky tears.

Heath nodded and forced himself to remain strong. Do not cry. Do not cry. He tenderly took hold of Georgia's frail body and he pulled her to an unwilling stand. He wrapped his arms around her arms and tried to pull her body towards the door

'No, no, no' she shrieked, Georgia tried to wriggle out of Heaths clutch but he only held her tighter, tears fell out of her eyes and terrified cries escaped her quivering lips.

Charlie began to cry as she witnessed the terror that Georgia was experiencing, Brax immedialty pulled Charlie into a hug, and he kissed her temple and tried to sooth her cries.

'This is so mean, she doesn't want to go' Charlie whispered to Brax through choked up breaths. Brax merely nodded

'Let go of me!' Georgia screamed, she tried to hit Heath with any part of her shaking body.

'No, I'm not letting you go, I love you' Heath tried to calm Georgia

'I hate you' she cried, tears spilt down her cheeks as Heath softly forced her out the door into the small room opposite the frontdoor.

'Please!' she shrieked, Heath placed a kiss on his wife's tear soaked cheek. His heart was breaking as he heard how much his wife was in pain.

'I hate you' Georgia sobbed, Heath loosened his grip on Georgia's wrists and he looked into her eyes.

'I can see my wife in there somewhere, my beautiful, funny, flirty, strong wife. I want her back' Heath whispered. Georgia's shaking stopped but she couldn't stop the tears. Heath tried to hug her body but Georgia shrugged him away. 'I don't want to leave, I'm fine' she choked out tearfully.

'You have to go' Heath enforced, he opened the front door and unlocked the car.

Georgia wriggled against his body, trying to push back against him and escape but Heath softly edged her into the car. Even from inside the house, they could all hear Georgia's cries and no one knew what to say. Everything had happened so fast, Georgia was gone.

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**Ok, I rewrote this chapter around 5 times. I hope that you don't feel that sending Georgia away was too intense because I think her current state applied with what Matt said about her past really meant that she needed a detox and to get away.**

**Now, for next chapter I am contemplating a time jump- maybe… I am considering jumping a couple of months… 9 months pregnancy maybe ;) new baby anyone? Haha, please please review! It really encourages me to write faster, I hope you enjoyed the chapter even though there wasn't much Chax-ness.**

**XXX **


	17. Baby Braxton

**Hey there! Kinda short chapter here and I did what I said I would. This chapter takes place 8 months after the lunch where everything became heated. This chapter is short-ish as I know where I want to pick up in the next chapter (only a few to go until the end probably) so sad!**

**Thankyou for all your positive reviews, its great to hear such kind words- you are all so sweet! Mwah! Xoxo**

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8 MONTHS LATER

Charlie cradled the little baby in her arms, her forehead was still dripping with sweat but she couldn't hide the smile that roamed her mouth. Brax continuously kissed Charlie's head and he softly grazed his hand over the small baby's cheek.

8 long months had gone by, a pregnancy full of strange food cravings and a growing stomach. Plus, every woman who ever said that 'morning sickness was hell' forgot to mention that 'morning sickness' was not just in the morning. Charlie had spent weeks camping out in the bathroom, vomiting up everything that she ate. They had had family around them though, Ruby, Heath and even Georgia's brother Matt had been extremally helpful… though, Brax had missed having his best friend around- ever since the day that Georgia was admitted into the clinic she had refused to see anyone except for Amber on rare occasions (once every couple of months for a mere hour or so)- she didn't even let Heath or any of her siblings come see her. Everyone missed her and craved for the day that she would be well enough to come out of the rehab clinic and back to Summer Bay. The 8 months had been a journey that both Brax and Charlie had enjoyed experiencing, they had become even closer (if that was possible) and they were even more inlove.

The first trimester was a difficult time for the both of them since, their first baby died amidst the first few early weeks of pregnancy, every day Charlie would wake up and immediately clasp a hand over her growing stomach to check that her baby was still ok- after a few months passed her paranoia drifted away and the overwhelming excitement built up. Brax doted over Charlie, everything that she needed he got; Their were late-night food cravings that resulted in Brax going to a 24 hour supermarket searching the shelves for strange combinations of products. One particular night, Brax walked into the kitchen after noticing Charlie was no longer in bed, he saw that in the pitch black house the kitchen was lit up by a dull luminosity from the open fridge and there was Charlie practically inhaling a box of rose chocolates as well as orange juice from the 2L bottle. But apart from the nausea, cravings, cramps, excessive body swelling and moodiness- their was also the times that Brax and her would spot a cute soft cotton baby onesie or they would get to see their beautiful baby on an ultra-sound. Finally, 9 months of pure angry-happy-sad-beautiful-wonderful blissfulness resulted in a tiny, baby girl that could finally combine the Braxton-Buckton family and create a blood bond of love, a daughter. That very day was the start of their lives.

'This is our baby girl' Charlie whispered into Brax's ear

Brax nodded breathlessly and kissed Charlie's lips lightly, he couldn't believe that this small human was their beautiful daughter.

'She has your eyes' Brax observed his daughters dark brown doe-eyes; they blinked open lightly before fluttering back shut. Charlie blushed at the statement and stroked the wispy light hairs upon the baby's head. She looked up at Brax quickly before patting the space on the bed next to her. Brax snuggled into the spare area on the bed and he hooked his arm around her waist, Charlie nestled her head into the crook of Brax's neck and placed and quick kiss onto his cheek.

'Any name ideas?' Charlie asked, continuing to stroke the cheek of her daughter

'I was only prepared for a boy' Brax admitted honestly 'So unless you want our daughter to be called Jackson- I suggest we keep looking' he winked

Charlie nodded and bit her bottom lip in thought 'How about...' she tapped her finger on Brax's leg 'Tregan'

Brax scoffed 'you're kidding right? Babe, that is one letter away from being the same name as my exgirlfriend- Georgia's sister ring any bells'

'Totally different name!' Charlie defended with a slight giggle; she lightly nudged Brax's side with her elbow

'No way! Every time I'd look at our daughter all I'd be able to think of is my crazy-blonde-haired-ex'

'Eww, ok fine' Charlie grimaced, not wanting their daughter to remind Brax of his exlover. 'How about we go through the alphabet?'

Brax nodded and straightened up. 'Ok, _A. - _maybe…'

Charlie cut him off with an eager idea 'Armani! That's so pretty, don'tcha think?'

Brax smirked and lightly took their nameless daughter out of Charlie's clinging arms, he pressed a quick kiss to her forehead before holding her slight body up next to his own face 'Tell your mummy that you don't want to be named after a fashion brand' he mimicked a sweet childish voice

'Armani is a real name!' Charlie scoffed

'No its not!' Brax laughed

'Fine. Please, share your fountain of wondrous ideas' she rolled her eyes sarcastically

'Ok, How about Olivia?' Brax suggested

Charlie peered at their daughter's silent face and squinted her eyes 'Nah, she doesn't look like an Olivia'

'Are you serious? How does she _not _look like an Olivia' Brax rolled his eyes

'I'm just not getting a vibe' Charlie explained

'A vibe? You serious? You don't like the name because you don't feel _the vibe?' _Brax laughed hysterically

'Oy! Choosing a name is a spiritual process. We need to make sure that the baby agrees with our choice' Charlie explained. She glanced at the doorway, hoping that their family would come and visit soon.

'How is the baby supposed to agree? She can't talk, its not like she can be all _Hey guys, I'm not sensing a connection with the name Olivia'_

Suddenly a voice interrupted them 'Baby Braxton! It's a baby Braxton!' Amber's shrill voice giggled as she bounced into the room alongside Heath and Ruby.

Charlie smiled at the young girls excitement. 'Ruby! Come say hello to your sister' Ruby beamed at her given title and she quickly walked over to Charlie who had wriggled her body up further in the hospital bed, her hands still firmly clung around the small baby's body. Ruby timidly reached out a hand and stroked the small baby's arms. 'Has this gorgeous girl got a name yet?' Ruby asked

Charlie smirked 'don't ask Brax, the whole drive up to the hospital yesterday he was giving suggestions'

'Says the woman who wants to name our daughter after a fashion brand' Brax scoffed, defending himself

Ruby's eyebrows burrowed in confusion 'Chanel? Louis Vuitton?' she guessed

Brax glanced at Charlie as she poked her tongue out at her husband 'Try Armani' Brax explained

Ruby's face lit up in a joyful smile, she shook her head excitedly 'that's such a pretty name'

'It's a fashion brand…' Heath interrupted from where he was leaning against the wall

'Exactly!' Brax exclaimed

'It's a gorgeous name' Charlie snapped

'I agree' Ruby nodded simply.

Charlie rolled her eyes to stop the petty discussion, her and Brax could fight over the name later 'For now, our daughter shall be called Baby Braxton'

Amber giggled at the name and tugged on her dad's hand, Heath took a step closer and smiled down at the baby in Charlie's arms

'Do you want to hold her?' Charlie asked Heath softly, he blushed and accepted the small baby off Charlie. Brax watched as his brother took hold of his daughter's sleeping form. Heath allowed the tiny fingers of his niece to wrap around his own finger. He couldn't help a smile from arising over his lips as the small human awoke and began to giggle in a sweet angelic ring.

The hospital door swung open and in a crashing noise a tan figure entered the room, their arms were loaded with baby clothes and toys as well as bunches of flowers and chocolates. The male's face was hidden behind a stack of purple teddy bears; he staggered into the room allowing a few of the toys to drop the floor.

'Jesus Christ…' the voice muttered

'Who..?' Charlie whispered to no one in particular

Ruby rolled her eyes and wandered over to the struggling figure 'Its Matt' she called back to Charlie. Ruby tugged the top few bears off the pile of presents to allow Matt to see in front of him.

'Matthew, did you buy the entire shop?' Brax laughed

Matt dropped all the presents on the chair and took a deep breath; he faced Ruby and put his hands on his hips sternly, his brown hair falling across his face messily. 'No. Ruby insisted that I buy all of this. She gave me a list of things to buy' Matt explained, he reached into the pocket of his washed out shorts and retrieved an a4 page that had been scrawled all over.

Charlie giggled tugged on Brax to come closer to her, Brax casually slipped his arm around her body and allowed her head to rest on his shirt clad abdomen. Matt passed the list to Brax's outstretched hand and Brax began to read the list in his head, his mouth turning up into a smirk every so often.

'What does it say?' Charlie asked eagerly as she accepted her baby back into her arms as Heath carefully passed her back.

Brax shook his head and sniggered '12 purple teddy bears, vanilla candles, 2 pink onesies, 3 floral onesies' Charlie cracked up in laughter and Brax paused through the list

'Its harder than it seems! I had to decide whether the baby was a size double zero, triple zero or just zero' Matt explained in a flustered tone, he pulled Ruby into a mock-aggressive hug before releasing her from his grip lightly and pulling her on top of the couch with him.

Brax rolled his eyes and quickly kissed Charlie's lips, she linked her arms around his neck before releasing and giving him a flirty smile. Brax next turned his head to face his nameless daughter; he kissed her head softly before standing tall. 'Ok, I'm getting coffee… I have been awake for too long' he chuckled giving a causal wave

'Oy! I'm the one who had to go through hours of labour and pushing and pushing! I think that I deserve the coffee'

'Eww, mental image' Heath muttered before gagging.

Brax poked his head back around the doorframe 'I shall bring a coffee for my darling wife as well' he added with a suck-up smile.

Heath suddenly looked up at his own daughter and noticed that her stomach grumbled with hunger. He smiled at Amber before picking her up in his arms.

'I'll be back in around an hour, I just want to grab some dinner from Angelos for Ambz, and do you guys want anything?'

'Margarita' Ruby called out

'Yum, Something spicy and covered with meat for me please!' Matt echoed, he licked his lips and threw Heath his wallet 'Get me a large one'

Heath took hold of Matt's wallet 'I'm keeping the change' he winked

'I wouldn't have expected any different' Matt responded smoothly

Heath and Amber quickly followed Brax out the door leaving Charlie some time to catch-up with her daughter and Matt.

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'So, my beautiful daughter- how has the Uni break been treating you?' Charlie asked her eldest daughter excitedly, she rocked her baby in her arms softly but continued to watch Ruby and Matt who were sitting on the blue hospital couch, their knees touching.

'Okay… I'm dating Romeo' Ruby gushed the happy news, Charlie thought that she saw Matt flinch at the words

'Isn't Romeo married?' Charlie asked confused- all the pregnancy and spending time with Brax had limited her from hearing about the good-old Summer Bay gossip.

'_Technically_ he is married, yes- but, Indi and him are definitely over' Ruby explained, Matt looked away from the conversation and focused his eyes on a loose thread that was poking out from one of the seams on the couch's arm.

Charlie glanced at Ruby and forged a smile; she couldn't help but feel wary about the situation. It was never good to get involved in a marriage- even if the status is "separated" you should always allow time for a marriage to mend itself. Though, Ruby seemed happy and that's all that mattered.

'Matt, are you on Uni break as well?' Charlie asked, directing the conversation towards the unusually quiet man.

'Uh, yeah… I have been spending lots of time in summer bay- I can see why everyone likes it, it's a pretty cool place' He smiled

'_Pretty cool place'_ Ruby scoffed, she nudged Matt playfully and giggled while giving a dramatic gesture of rolling her eyes 'Matt _loves _the bay. He has even signed up for lifesaving during the Summer Break'

Matt grinned 'Alright, I will admit that I have enjoyed the fine display of ladies that I encounter while patrolling the beach' he winked at Charlie and Ruby

Ruby again rolled her eyes 'You have spoken to like 5 girls- nothing medal worthy' she giggled

Matt's jaw dropped in mock shock and he tickled Ruby's ribs quickly 'I can't talk to girls much because I'm on duty, and you!' he wiggled his eyebrows at the chuckling brunette 'you are the biggest obstacle! Every time a girl approaches me, you start gawking away, laughing like a crazy-person and scaring off all the women' Matt laughed

Charlie smiled at the conversation 'So… you two have been spending some time together?' she asked suspiciously

'Yeah… a bit' Matt shrugged casually

'He has no other friends in summer bay, I felt bad for him' Ruby joked playfully

'I'm a charity case' Matt played along with the joke

Charlie laughed loudly and smiled at the doorway as she noticed Brax walk back in the room, bearing hot lattes and hot chocolate from the hospital cafeteria. He glanced at the scene playing out before him and couldn't help but feel proud over how wonderful his life had become. He had a wife, daughter, stepdaughter and enough friends to make a whole new country, he missed Georgia but there wasn't time to be upset over her absence especially while he had such a beautiful life in front of him.

Charlie stared at the caffeine-fueled drink in Brax's hand, she cheered at the sight of the cardboard cup.

'First coffee for 9 months!' She grinned as Brax passed her the cup. He took their daughter off Charlie and sat opposite her on the bed.

'A black coffee for Matt and Hot Chocolate for Ruby' Brax passed the two drinks over to the eager children sitting on the couch.

'Why don't I get a coffee?' Ruby pouted as Matt took a large gulp of the heated liquid

'They ran out of coffee' Brax laughed

Charlie pouted and stared at Matt's coffee eagerly, she gave him puppy dog eyes and smiled sweetly. Mat gave in and rolled his eyes. 'One sip.' He reluctantly passed Ruby his cup of coffee and she immediately took a swig before smiling graciously.

Brax stole a glance from Charlie and he caressed her leg through the thin sheet. She caught Brax's eyes in her own and blew him a quick kiss. Brax smiled at her and pulled their daughter up, closer towards his chest. He stared at her rose coloured lips; they were frozen in a pout and quivered as she took silent breaths. Brax stroked her hair softly, he couldn't believe that his life had become so amazing- if he had never met Charlie, he would probably still be brooding on the beach- getting into gang fights and having pointless, meaningless sex with random women, nothing could ever compare to how blessed he now was.

'Ok, I want to give our daughter a name; I'm getting sick of calling her _Baby Braxton' _Charlie laughed, drumming her hands on her thighs energetically.

Brax smirked and put "Baby Braxton" back in her hospital crib that was resting next to Charlie's bed. 'Ok, well have you got any _better_ suggestions' Brax teased, he slid further up the bed until he was cuddling Charlie's body in his arms. Charlie relaxed her body into Brax's grip and she slapped his chest playfully.

'Oy! All my suggestions are great'

Ruby nodded from her position on the couch 'Yeah, I liked the name Armani' she stated casually

Brax rolled his eyes 'Does _everyone_ like the name except me?'

Matt glanced at everyone in the room and shrugged nonchalantly '… I think it's a cute name'

Brax glared at Matt 'Mate! What happened to the bro-code' he threw a pillow at Matt. Matt ducked out of the way of the soft cushion and grinned cheekily. Brax snuggled closer to Charlie and sighed;

'Ok, how about a mixture of two names?' Matt suddenly suggested 'I've heard that it is quite a modern and hip way of naming children'

Ruby scoffed 'what? Like on Twilight. They totally did that on twilight'

Brax nodded at the idea 'Ok, how about Armani and Olivia'

'Oliv-arni' Charlie attempted

'Arman-ia' Ruby guessed

'ArmanOli?'

Brax groaned at how badly the idea had worked out. He held a pillow over his face in exhaustion 'Our daughter is going to be forever known as being nameless!' he complained in a muffled voice through the material of the pillow. Charlie giggled and stroked Brax's toned arm soothingly, she knew that sometimes that naming process took quite a few days- it couldn't be rushed otherwise the poor child would be left named after something like "ArmanOli"

'It'll be fine, you will think of the perfect name' Ruby insisted.

Brax removed the pillow from his face and he took a breath.

Charlie greeted him with a huge toothy grin, she pressed her lips to his surprised mouth. Brax didn't want to deepen the kiss due to their current audience but he slung his arms around her body loosely and accepted her excited kiss with his own response.

'Eww, Guys!' Ruby squealed

Charlie reluctantly broke away from the kiss 'Oh come on! You can't tell me that you and Romeo don't kiss in public?'

'Too much if you ask me' Matt muttered under his breath.

Ruby seemed to not hear Matt's dry comment as instead she blushed in response to Charlie's question.

'We are still in the honeymoon stage, what's your excuse?' Ruby laughed

Matt scoffed 'Maybe because _they_ just had a baby? Maybe because _they_ are inlove?' he suggested sarcastically

'Sarcasm isn't attractive on young men' Ruby pouted

'I love sarcasm' Charlie grinned

'That's why we are a perfect match. I provide the sarcastic wit _and _you' Brax kissed Charlie's nose 'you accept it'

Charlie chuckled at the statement and slowly latticed her fingers through Brax's fingers. She pressed into his body and shut her eyes to allow the perfect moment to replay in her mind. Her husband, her baby… her utterly beautiful life. Nothing could wreck this day.

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**How was that? 8 months in the future, new baby! YAY! **

**Please review your thoughts (I'm sorry if it was a bit shorter than usual, I just wanted to get it out to you guys) Well, that is another chapter done and dusted- I hope it was ok….**

**Ohhh btw, the added bit about Ruby dating Romeo (yes, I stole from the show) ha-ha but no offense meant- I am an indi-romeo lover & not the biggest fan of ruby… **

**Xoxo yay CHAX BABY!**


	18. Princess Ellie

**Hey there! Thankyou all for the great reviews in the last chapter xoxo**

**This chapter starts with Brax and Charlie painting their babies nursery- I know that most parents paint it during the pregnancy but I figured that with the hectic summer bay life- they wouldn't have done it yet ha-ha x0x0**

**Please Please read and review, Thankyou beautifuls xxx**

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'Pink!' Charlie insisted, she thrusted her hips forward and held her head proudly. Dried paint licked the edges of her over-sized sweatshirt and she raised her arm holding a brush, quickly splattering baby-pink paint droplets all over Brax's white V-neck shirt.

'Please, anything but _pink_!' Brax whined, he put his arms around Charlie's waist and placed a pleading kiss on her forehead. Brax tried to pry the tin of paint out of Charlie's hand.

'No' she giggled under her breath, trying to pry the tin away from Brax's grip. 'Pink is a feminine colour!' Charlie exclaimed, pulling away from Brax's embrace.

'Ugh, I can't have one of the rooms in my house be painted pink' Brax pleaded, nodding at the creamy walls that now had traces of paint samples along them.

Charlie decided to try and explain the paints in a way that would appeal to him.

'Babe' she pointed to a different shade of paint that was plastered across the wall, it was deeper than the other colour and Charlie hoped that it would convince Brax 'this colour is not pink, its _Puce'_

Brax scoffed and looked away from the wall. 'Its just another shade of _pink_! Can we get another opinion?'

Charlie crossed her arms and grinned 'that's fine with me, because our baby is g_irl. _Everyone will agree with me that…well,**Girls **_**like **_**pink!'**

Brax walked towards the door and called over his shoulder 'That, my darling is called _stereotyping_' he winked

'That, _my darling. _Is called being stubborn' Charlie mocked in response.

'Oy Heath! Can you give us a hand' Brax called out. They had invited the family over to help out the next day, Ruby was busy feeding "Baby Braxton" and Amber was watching television as well as trying to be involved and assist Ruby.

Heath wandered into the room and nodded at the colours.

'What's up?'

'Brax doesn't like any of the colour samples' Charlie snapped, before Brax could offer up any information

Heath smirked and nudged Brax's arm playfully 'Mate, just agree with Charlie- trust me… its easier that way' he winked

Brax scowled 'But, its pink! It goes against everything I stand for'

'What colour would you choose?' Heath rolled his eyes; he knew that it would be easier to just agree with Charlie in this instance…. The mother always won.

'Maybe Black or something….'

'Black!' Charlie shrieked, waving her arms in the air dramatically. 'Do you want our baby's room to look like a permanent funeral?'

'Do you want our baby's room to look like someone has suffocated her in a massive piece of fairyfloss!' Brax defended, he pointed to a sickly-sweet pink paint sample that resembled lollies and candyfloss.

Charlie grabbed the tin of paint and placed it near the door.

'Ok, fine. Lets make a deal- no pink but definitely no black' She put her arm out to initiate a handshake to confirm the deal. Brax smiled at his wife's stern face, he grabbed her hand and pulled her into a quick kiss. Her lips were frozen against his for a quick moment as she accepted the unexpected kiss, Brax pulled her body closer to him and Charlie responded by deepening the kiss and slowly sliding her fingers under the edge of his shirt, she allowed her hands to roam up his toned abdomen.

Heath coughed awkwardly and looked at the ground. Charlie immediately pulled away from the kiss and blushed at how she had forgotten about her brother in-laws presence in the room. Brax shot him an angry glare as if to say _why did you interrupt that?_

'Uh… quick question guys… why have you not painted the room earlier. I mean, you did have 9 entire months to bicker over colour choices' Heath laughed

Charlie giggled and slung a paint-speckled arm around Brax's waist.

Heath rolled his eyes 'you know what, don't answer that. I get it, _you were practicing making other babies' _he scoffed.

Charlie groaned at Heath's realization 'Gross but true. Anyway, lets just pick a colour'

'Ok' Brax agreed 'how about Blue?'

'…What shade of blue?' Charlie asked

Brax itched his neck awkwardly and looked at Heath for help whom just shrugged in response. 'Uh… _blue _blue' he guessed

'You know what, lets just paint it this shade of violet that I picked up at the store. It's a mix of pinks and blues- so we both win' Charlie suggested

'Deal, I'll start painting' Brax waltzed into the living room to collect another paintbrush.

Charlie watched as Heath awkwardly shuffled towards the doorway to leave the room. She noticed how upset he looked as his head hung low and his eyes had dark shadows mirroring underneath his eyelids. Charlie cautiously walked towards Heath and coughed to grab his attention.

'Heath, we- Brax and I, we really appreciate everything you have done to help us lately' She smiled lightly

Heath nodded 'It's fine, I love Baby Braxton's'

Charlie chuckled awkwardly and wiped her hands up her arms self-consciously. 'How is... is Georgia doing?'

Heath immediately straightened up, his eyebrows burrowed and lips formed a straight line 'I don't know… I haven't heard from her in 8 months'

'I just…' Charlie tried to explain her question

Heath interrupted Charlie in a heavy voice 'I haven't spoken to my wife in 243 days' he showed no emotion on his face.

Charlie swallowed thickly, 'How is Amber dealing with it all?'

Heath scoffed 'I had no idea what to tell her… I didn't know what to say when she would wake up and ask where her mummy was. Some days, she comes out of her bedroom just crying and crying and saying that she misses her mum and that she doesn't understand why her mummy doesn't want to see her. I… I had to tell her the truth and she was so confused… so confused' Heath's voice echoed

Charlie felt bad that she hadn't tried to help Heath more, they had so much to deal with in the pregnancy that it was almost like she and Brax had ignored Heath's suffering.

'I'm sorry that we didn't help more…' Charlie apologized in a small voice.

'Whatever. You were pregnant- you didn't have time to deal with me and my wife' he spat out, the words hit Charlie harshly and she felt her throat tighten up, she had no idea of what to say in response.

'… Georgie is my friend as well, I care… I'm sorry if it seems like I haven't over the last few months' Charlie finally bit out in a nervous voice, she couldn't work up the courage to meet Heath's eyes, as she knew that if she did she would probably begin to tear up.

'I... miss her… I really want to see her but… every time I go to the clinic they say that she doesn't want any visitors'

Charlie plastered an energetic smile over her face, she reached out and pulled Heath into a light hug 'She will be back soon' she tried to sound encouraging but Charlie knew that there was a chance Georgia wouldn't be out for a long time.

Suddenly the hug was interrupted by a cough and a smooth voice.

'Everything ok?' Brax asked slowly, he met Charlie's eyes and he mouthed the words "All good?"

Charlie nodded briskly 'Yeah, Heath was just congratulating us on the baby… again' Charlie knew that she was lieing but as she caught Heath's sad eyes in her gaze she could tell that he didn't want his brother knowing about all the pain that he was hiding. Charlie patted Heath's shoulders with her hands lightly before stepping away and beginning to paint the walls of the room with the pale purple paint, Brax stepped past Heath slowly and he began to dip the paint roller in the tray of paint opposite the tin. Heath remained standing at the doorway for a moment, he gazed at Charlie and Brax who were mucking around with paint, playfully dabbing each other with the end of the brushes and stealing quick kisses. Heath missed being able to do that with someone, he missed his wife. He missed Georgia.

.

The room had been painted and now the entire family including Baby Braxton and Matt were sitting in the living room. Charlie was cradling their small daughter in her arms and resting her head on Brax's shoulder. Amber relaxed her body across Heath's legs and she joyfully munched on a vegemite sandwich and kicked her legs to the beat of a song. Matt sat on the couch with an arm around Ruby's waist casually, Ruby was nestled into his body, and the two of them were laughing about nothing in particular. - Anyone who didn't know the situation would think that the two of them were dating, but Ruby seemed to be very much inlove with Romeo.

'Ruby, is Romeo coming over?' Brax asked, wanting to see his stepdaughter with her new boyfriend.

Ruby nodded gleefully 'Yeah, he should be here soon' Matt flinched as Ruby said that, though it seemed that no-one else had noticed how uncomfortable he had become once Ruby's love-life was mentioned.

'Ok, everyone. This gorgeous girl' Charlie held their daughter higher in her arms and clasped her fingers around their daughter's naturally tan arm, she shook arm to mimic her daughter waving her arm. 'She, has gone nameless for long enough and Brax and I were talking, we want everyone's help with the name decision-making' Charlie grinned

'-Except for you, Matt' Brax interrupted, winking playfully

Matt straightened his body up on the couch 'Oy! Why not?'

Ruby rolled her eyes_ 'Oliv-arni, ArmanOli, Liv-rni' _she began to recite all of Matt's bad ideas from the day before in the hospital. Matt put a hand over Ruby's mouth to stop her mid-word, he swiveled his head to face Brax 'They were creative choices!'

Brax chuckled to himself and Charlie just giggled. 'Any other ideas'

Ruby suddenly perked up and waved her arm around ecstatically as she thought up an idea 'Ok, how about you keep the trend going. Heath and Georgie named Amber… Amber- which is a colour and _my _name is also a colour, so you could keep all the next-generation Braxton's linked by all having a colour theme'

'How is Ruby a colour?' Brax chuckled

'It's the name of a paint sample' Matt responded on Ruby's behalf. Brax rolled his eyes but allowed a small smile to drift over his lips.

Charlie nodded slowly, still unsure about the idea; She glanced at Brax who just shrugged in dismission - _real helpful; '_Ok, what are some good colours that could double as a girl's name…'

'Lilac?' Heath murmered

'Scarlett?'

'Green…' Matt said slowly

'Green?' Ruby scoffed

'You want me to name my baby girl… Green?' Charlie laughed

Matt through his arms up in defense and gave a strained laugh 'don't blame me; I have no experience naming children. I am the youngest child in my family, I had to grow up with the most stereotypical name in the world!'

'I have an idea' Heath grinned suddenly, Brax looked at his brother unsure if he wanted to know his brother's idea.

'What is it?" Charlie asked desperately

'Ok, my mate Byron was named after the place where he was conceived'

'What is conceived daddy?' Amber asked curiously, wide-eyed, Heath's face paled and Brax began to choke back laughter. Charlie nudged him in the ribs to enforce him to behave;

'Yeah…what does it mean Heath?' Brax laughed slyly, with a teasing glimmer in his eyes. Heath's eyes shot daggers to Brax and his facial muscles tensed.

'It means…. Where… uh, uhhm' Heath struggled to explain the word with a pg. rating.

Suddenly Charlie the supermum came to the rescue 'It means where the baby was made' she said simply, Amber merely nodded and accepted the answer before leaning back against her dad, Heath mouthed thanks to Charlie before stroking his daughter's hair.

'Anyway, where was the baby-Braxton… formed?" Heath asked, choosing his words carefully

'Our bed' Brax muttered under his breath with a small smile, Charlie stifled back a laugh and felt a crimson blush rise up her cheeks. 'Can't remember.' She spoke quickly, not daring to make anyone's eye contact. Brax shot Charlie a playful glance and he slid his arm back around her waist, Charlie nestled into his body and relaxed against the couch.

Suddenly the doorbell rung and Heath stood up to open it. A smile played over Ruby's lips, as she knew that it would be Romeo arriving. The door swung open and Romeo walked in, he gave a small smile and waved awkwardly to the curious audience of people.

'Hey everyone. Congratulations on the baby Charlie, Brax' he nodded

'Thanks mate' Brax nodded

Ruby stood up, allowing Matt's arm to drop from behind her shoulders, he frowned as her skin no longer touched his own.

Ruby tried to give Romeo a kiss, but he moved his head to the side briskly and instead gave her a small hug, not wanting to give in to the PDA while they had an audience. 'Hey baby' she whispered into his ear. Romeo smiled lightly and held his hands together, his wedding ring rubbing against his other fingers.

'Hey Matt' Romeo acknowledged the other young adult sitting on the couch.

'Hello Romeo, how is Indi doing?' He gritted his teeth together in a forced smile. Ruby gasped and shot Matt a pissed off look at the comment, Heath couldn't help but smirk at Matt's sarcastic and witty snark, he had a way with words. Heath was probably the only person that had noticed that Matt was very much inlove with Ruby, over the 8 months that they had known each other Matt was always spending time with her and he was extremally protective of Ruby in any situation and he was blatantly jealous of Ruby's relationship with Romeo.

Romeo didn't seem to notice the jealousy that was threaded through Matt's voice; 'Uh, Ok… I guess. I saw her this morning at the diner and she said that she was over-loaded with Uni work' he nodded

'I didn't know that you saw her this morning' Ruby suddenly shot back, her eyes glaring at Romeo as if he had done something wrong by having a coffee with his separated-wife. Romeo took a step backwards and uncomfortably shifted his hands into his board-shorts pockets 'I didn't realize that I had to tell you…' he muttered, Romeo had become uncomfortable with how over- affectionate and paranoid Ruby was in their relationship.

'Well next time, I would like to know when you are dining with your _wife'_ Ruby snarled in response.

'Ok, well… ' Charlie spoke in an overly cheerful voice, attempting to lighten the situation; she rocked the Baby-Braxton in her arms slowly and glanced at Brax with a pleading look, wanting him to help dissolve the tension from the room.

'Sorry' Ruby muttered, realizing how edgy she had made the atmosphere become. 'I'm going to leave and grab some lunch' she gave a small wave before grabbing Romeo's arm and tugging him out the door before he could even say goodbye to everyone.

The room remained quiet for a moment before Brax glared at Matt '_How is Indi?_' he mocked

'…Way to make things uncomfortable' Charlie chuckled

Matt's eyes widened and he raised his shoulders in defense 'I was sincerely curious about how Indi was!'

Heath rolled his eyes '_And you just had to ask Romeo, didn't you?'_

Charlie pursed her lips together and smiled smugly 'Mr. Jealous, I think that you have crush on my daughter'

Matt's eyes widened in shock for a split second before he composed himself and gave Charlie a flirtatious smile 'Sorry, but I like my women to at least be toilet trained' he joked, winking at the small sleeping baby in Charlie's arms.

'Smartass, I _meant_ my older daughter. I think that you like Ruby' Charlie responded with a playful smirk

'That's crazy!' he attempted to lie

'Really?' Heath asked softly

Matt leant back into the couch and groaned knowing that he had been caught out; he covered his face with his hands. His cheeks blushing a deep crimson and his eyes squeezed shut. 'This is so embarrassing' he muttered amidst the embarrassed groans that escaped his lips.

'Does Ruby know?' Brax asked

'Yes Brax, Ruby knows that I'm inlove with her and tha-' Matt snapped sarcastically

Charlie's velvety voice interrupted him mid-sentence 'In-love.' she whispered with a small smile on her lips. The colour drained from Matt's face as he realized what he had just admitted and he immedialty looked at the floor, his tan legs kicking against each other.

'Aww, the youngest Callahan is inlove!' Brax teased, he chucked a pillow at Matt's silent figure and chuckled to himself 'Young love is so cute!'

'Oy! No teasing the love-struck teen' Heath smirked 'Amber baby,' he faced his daughter with a playful smile 'Throw a pillow at your uncle Brax, he is being mean to your uncle Matt'

Brax frowned 'No, Amber. Don't throw the pillow!' Brax held his hands in front of his face in mock protection; he didn't really care if his cute niece threw it at him but it was fun to bicker with his brother about it. Amber's mouth pouted in thought as she considered what to do, her thin fingers twisted her long hair in contemplation.

'Listen to your Dad and throw the pillow at Brax' Heath urged, with a playful grin.

'No, Amber sweetie. Don't throw the pillow, you are my favorite niece!' Brax tried persuasion; he pouted his lips and gave Amber puppy-dog eyes

'She is your _only_ niece' Heath poked his tongue out at Brax 'Now, Amber. Throw the pillow!'

Suddenly a new voice came into the equation 'I'll throw the pillow at Brax' Matt smirked, he raised a toned arm and pegged the pillow directly at Brax's face, the cushion pushed Brax's head to the side as its sudden appearance shocked him.

'Ok, fine. Now we are even' Brax smirked at Matt, he causally pushed the cushion to the side and used it to rest his back against.

'Sweet Sweet, Young love!' Brax couldn't help adding with a playful smile

'Dick…' Matt muttered under his breath

'Brax! Be nice' Charlie slapped his thigh and she spoke sternly

'I'm sorry' he said seriously this time, his eyes widening with promise at Charlie.

'Its fine, I'm just a victim of unrequited love' Matt raised his legs on the couch and sighed dramatically, his head resting on the armrest of the couch.

'This is like an episode of the Vampire diaries or some soap opera. Matt is inlove with Ruby, Ruby is inlove with Romeo and Romeo is inlove with Indi' Heath chuckled

Amber suddenly gained interest in the conversation and her eyes widened in confusion 'so… who is Indi inlove with?' she asked innocently

'Watch the next episode and find out' Heath winked.

.

Later that night, Charlie sat in the living room with her baby and Amber. The boys had gone out to pick up groceries for a home-cooked dinner and Ruby was still out hanging with Romeo. Charlie allowed the silence of the room to relax her, she stroked her babies cheeks softly and smiled at how beautiful she looked sleeping, her tiny eyelids fluttering every now and then as well as her small chest rising and falling as she breathed in and out.

The boys came back from the shops a while later and the three of them prepared a fresh pasta bolognaise and a crunchy salad. Charlie put their baby to sleep in her cot, which was being temporarily placed beside Brax and Charlie's own bed. The whole family dined together around the large table, Ruby had come back with Romeo and the two of them were joining the rest of the family for dinner.

'Matt, can you go sit over near Heath, I want to sit next to Romeo' Ruby asked casually, standing over Matt's seated body. His face dropped and he nodded, coming to a stand. Charlie noticed how heartbroken he looked, all afternoon Matt had been looking forward to seeing Ruby again (since she was hanging out with Romeo for quite along time after lunch) he had tried to hide his excitement but it was obvious to everyone and now that Ruby was home she didn't even greet Matt or seem interested in talking to him.

'Ruby, Matt doesn't have to move. I'm sure Romeo doesn't mind sitting next to Heath' Brax spoke up quickly

'Nah Its fine' Matt murmered, he gave a small wave 'I'm actually going to leave; I have to catch up on some Uni work. I'll see you all tomorrow' he said in a small voice before turning and walking out the front door.

Ruby seemed to not notice his distant attitude; she merely shrugged and pulled Romeo onto the seat next to her. Romeo reluctantly sat down and he began to serve up some tomato filled pasta into his bowl

'Everyone! I have an idea for a baby name' Amber spoke up, she passed the salad to her dad before grinning and facing Charlie

'Ok, lets here them' Brax smiled encouragingly before eating a mouthful of pasta

'Ok, firstly I have… Dora, like Dora the explorer, Princess Fairyfloss, Snow-white- her nickname could be Snowy and lastly- my personal favorite, Princess Ellie' Amber smiled proudly

'That's actually really nice…' Charlie murmered to herself

'What? Princess Ellie?' Brax laughed, as he responded in a whisper to ensure that Amber didn't overhear him mocking her idea.

'Not the princess part obviously… but Ellie… I really like it' Charlie nodded. Brax paused for a moment in thought 'Yeah, I like it as well' Brax agreed, Amber looked up as she heard Brax's last comment

'You like my idea?' she grinned ecstatically; she wriggled around her seat with happiness obviously glad that her ideas were appreciated.

'Yes we do. I think that Ellie might be the name of our Baby' Charlie spoke softly.

With that, a youthful girls idea has created the name of a new life, Ellie Braxton. The next chapter of the CHAX love story has begun. Their beautiful daughter finally had a name; it was a perfect name which they both agreed on and it was just reassurance that their life together had officially begun, Charlie and Brax were no longer just bound together by writing but... they were bound together with love and a new generation. Brax leant over and pressed a quick kiss to Charlie's quivering lips, she smiled against his kiss and whispered 'I love you' into his ear. Brax kissed her forehead quickly and stroked her cheeks with his hands. 'This is it' he whispered in response 'our life together has started.

.

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**how was that? Haha, please please review! This story is coming to an end, I'm pretty sure that there will only be one more chapter I have loved writing this story and I hope that you all enjoyed this chapter, the next chapter will have **

**New love**

**Old love**

**Chax love**

**LOTS OF LOVE! Haha**

**I'm thinking about doing one final time jump! (Maybe a Christmas chapter for the last chapter?) **

**Thankyou for reading xoxo**


	19. My Christmas Wish

**Please don't shoot me! Haha, I'm so so so sorry that it's taken so long to update- I have been so busy but I hope that you can forgive me! Xxx**

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**This chapter jumps into the future to a couple of days before Christmas….**

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**please read and review, I love hearing all your comments, I have been having a crappy week and so any nice comments would be lovely x0x0 love you all**

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Christmas spirit came around soon enough; stores began to display gold tinsel around the window frames and they were stocked up with mountains of tacky coloured wrapping paper. Summer Bay was always a very close town, everyone knew everything about each other and even amidst the crazy fights and relationship drama, and everyone loved each other. So it was only expected that when Christmas time came around, everyone was in an excited frenzy of love and present wrapping.

A few months had passed by and the Buckton-Braxton family had only grown closer, things had advanced but… others had stayed the same. Romeo had drifted away from Ruby; Matt was still in complete utter love with her. Georgia was still in her rehab, not speaking or seeing anyone from their family. Charlie and Brax had been raising their daughter and spending countless hours together, just looking after their daughter but with the holiday season coming up in days, the family decided to organize Christmas together.

The whole family was happily perched around the couch; they had just had a casual fish and chips lunch together and were attempting to think up something to entertain themselves.

'How about twister?' Charlie suggested innocently

'You'd like that, wouldn't you- lots of body bending' Brax grinned flirtatiously

'Eww, ew' Ruby squealed as she heard her mum making sexual innuendo jokes

Heath looked at the pile of corny board games that were stacked in the centre of the table 'They are called _board_ games for a reason' he muttered under his breath

'Oy! Everyone, positive attitudes' Charlie beamed, attempting to exciten the atmosphere. She reached forward eagerly and sorted through the arrangement of games.

'Please, let me leave!' Heath mock shouted 'This is torture'

Amber giggled at her dad's theatrics and she jumped onto his lap happily

'Take me with you!' Brax responded to his brother with a similar voice

Charlie wacked Brax's leg playfully and pouted 'Guys!'

'Babe, no-one likes board-games' Brax smirked

Charlie gave Brax a smug smile and she tapped her fingers on her thigh suggestively 'Well, I just happened to have invited the king of board games and he should be arriving, just about….'

A knock at the door made Brax's eyes widen with confusion. No! No more board games! Brax cautiously stood up from the couch and opened the front door. He was immedialty met my two tan arms looped around a pile of cardboard boxes.

'Okay, I have Pictionary, monopoly, cluedo, guess who…' the voice instructed`

'You invited Matt?!' Heath groaned, knowing from previous family events that Matt loved board games.

Matt dropped the games on the table and grinned, he nodded at Heath 'I'm going to take your previous comment as a compliment' he joked, jumping onto the couch next to Ruby.

'Ok' Charlie breathed happily 'Matt, would you like to pick a game?'

'I'd love to' He grinned, reaching a tan arm forwards to grab a game from the pile. Ruby attempted to hold him back- her arms slung around his waist loosely. 'Anything but monopoly!' She mock cried

Matt smirked and nodded at the box. Pictionary.

'Seriously?' Heath Groaned

'I love Pictionary!' Amber giggled gleefully

'Seriously?' Brax laughed

'Boys! Behave!' Charlie grinned, swatting Brax's leg with her hand

'Seriously!' both the Braxton Brothers groaned

The group all looked at Charlie's eager face and reluctantly moved into groups.

'No, I can't be with Brax! He cant even draw stick-figures' Charlie pouted

'Try being with a 10 year old' Heath muttered dryly

'Oy!' Amber pouted sweetly and nudged her dad playfully

Brax grabbed Charlie around her waist and lifted her onto his lap, his arms holding her firmly around the waist. She nestled into his grip and sighed, this was what she loved about life. Being able to sit on the couch with her family and play something as pathetically pleasing as Pictionary was exactly the type of life that Charlie had envisioned for herself. The family were grouped into pairs; Charlie and Brax, Amber and Heath as well as Matt and Ruby.

Brax stood up first and stood next to the upstanding sketch board that Matt had set up. He began to sketch quick wiggling lines all cramped together.

'Hair?' Charlie quickly guessed

'Pineapple leaves?' Matt added curiously

Brax scoffed and continued drawing, his hand bending awkwardly as he attempted to continue drawing 'It's a movie' he reminded

'What on earth is he drawing?' Heath smirked under his breath

'What are those long stringy things?' Charlie pointed to the sketch board that Brax was currently drawing on

'Seaweed!' Brax exclaimed exasperated

'How is that seaweed, it looks like a beard' Ruby giggled, leaning back into the couch and grinning at Brax's drawing.

'It reminds me of melted cheese' Amber giggled

'Enough about the seaweed!' Brax laughed 'Guess the movie?' He nodded at Charlie

'Seaweed…. uh' Charlie attempted to think up the movie as Brax continued to draw

'The seaweed chronicles' Matt guessed, cluelessly, he scratched his stubbly, tan chin and chuckled

Brax groaned and dived backwards onto the couch 'my god! Its Finding bloody Nemo!' He exclaimed. Charlie pulled her body towards Brax and giggled into his body. She pressed a quick kiss to his lips before pulling back and smiling at him sweetly 'Baby, why didn't you draw a fish or something… instead of seaweed?' she whispered through giggles

'I was setting the scene, I thought that you would need the seaweed to understand that its underwater' Brax rolled his eyes and pouted

'I think that if we saw the fish it's a little bit self-explanatory' Matt smirked, rolling his eyes

Brax's eyes shot open playfully and he threw a pillow at Matt, grinning cheekily 'Alright pretty boy, lets see you try and draw while under pressure' he baited, Matt nodded and jumped up. He flicked open to a fresh page and gave Ruby a flirtatious wink 'Are you ready to guess?'

'Lets go Picasso!' She responded excitedly

Matt's hand immediately started sketching quickly before being interrupted by Ruby. Ruby mumbled something under her breath before speaking out loud 'Oh guys, I have to go- Romeo just texted and he wants to talk' She rose from the couch and Matt dropped the pen onto the couch, he tried to forge a smile 'Now? You cant stay just a bit longer?' He asked lightly, his eyes widening with hope

'Nah, got to go- Charlie, can I get a ride into Yabby Creek? Romeo wants me to meet him at a café there' Ruby asked her mum, dismissing Matt immediately

'I've got to feed Ellie, she is going to wake up soon' Charlie apologized

Matt clenched his jaw tightly but coughed subtly to regain attention 'I'll drive you' he murmered dryly

'Aw, really? Thankyou Matthew' Ruby grinned enthusiastically, she flung her arms around Matt before racing out the door and blowing a fountain of kisses to her dazed family

Heath smirked at Matt and imitated a whip with his hands 'Man, that girl has you whipped'

'Does not' Matt muttered, reaching behind himself and grabbing his wallet from the table.

'But, Ruby is not _his_ girl' Brax added in a teasing voice.

'Yet…' Matt winked; he gave a casual salute goodbye and followed Ruby out the door.

.

Meanwhile, on the outskirts of town; a skinny girl was sitting in a rehabilitational psychiatric hospital, her thighs shaking nervously and her jaw clenched tightly. Georgia, she had been away from her family for a year exactly and her doctors were all wondering whether it was time for her to return home. She had been in therapy everyday, she had repeated her story hundreds of times and had slowly been getting better.

'How is my favorite girl?' The doctor smiled, entering Georgia's room

She gave a flirtatious smile and blushed 'Fine'

'How are you feeling this morning?' He took a seat opposite the white hospital bed and stared into Georgia's eyes

'Ok…'

'On a scale of one to ten. One being in a shit mood, suicidal ideation and in a severe depressive state and ten being super happy, excited and in an excessively perky mood… where would you rate yourself?'

'A 6'

The doctors eyes widened with happiness and his face split into a grin 'Georgia C, that is great! This is the first time that you have made it over 5'

Georgia smiled happily and crossed her thin legs underneath her body, she clapped her hands amused and leant back onto the hospital bed. 'Your therapy must be working' she grinned mischievously

The doctor allowed a small smile to phase over his mouth 'Ok, eating. What did you have for breakfast? - Be honest with me, I need to know the truth Georgia'

Georgia swallowed and stared at the floor, any sane person would know that it's very difficult to lie while holding eye contact with someone. Her body stiffened and she shrugged her body away from the doctor.

'Georgia… Did you eat breakfast?... Did you eat dinner?' the doctor drawled out suspiciously

'I… I ate a piece of apple for breakfast and a couple of spoonful's of pumpkin soup for dinner the night before' She admitted

The doctor winced lightly and quickly scribbled a few more notes on his notepad, 'Why did you eat so little?'

Georgia rubbed her thighs self-consciously 'I'm too bulky and bulgy, I need to lose weight'

The doctor frowned 'Georgia, I'm going to be very blunt with you ok? We have had sessions every day for almost a year and I feel that you have changed immensely but _you _do not need to lose weight, the anorexia is tricking you and convincing you that you need to be in control of your weight'

'I'm ***king fat Dr. Miller!' Georgia cried

Dr Miller pursed his lips and rubbed his head with the tips of his fingers 'Lift your shirt up' he stated in a monotone voice

Georgia reluctantly obliged and raised the material of her grey t-shirt up, she held it all bunched up and rolled underneath her chin. Georgia looked up at Dr Miller with a confused look roaming across her face

Dr Miller leant over and touched her bare abdomen 'See this?' He nodded at her body

Georgia looked down at her stomach, her eyes flinching with personal disgust. 'Georgia, I can see every single one of your ribs, I can see your bones. I can grab hold of your collarbones' He nodded toward her protruding bones that were poking out of her tan skin. Georgia swallowed

'You are heavily underweight, you have been in therapy for one year and we have dealt with your abuse, your depression, your cutting but you are still holding back on your anorexia and I honestly think that- in my professional opinion… you need to go home' Dr Miller continued

Georgia gasped and held her hands together nervously 'But…'

Dr Miller shook his head conclusively 'No, You need to be around family and that's the only way that you will survive… Georgia, I am discharging you from this hospital, you are going home tomorrow'

.

**THE NEXT DAY**

.

'Brax, have you got Ellie?' Charlie called out, walking into the kitchen;

'Yeah, she is helping me cook Christmas dessert' Brax responded, he had Ellie sitting in her high chair next to Brax in the kitchen. She was happily holding a spoon and hitting it onto the bench top, giggling merrily and staring at her dad in awe. Charlie came upto Brax and hugged him from behind, she kissed his neck softly and whispered into his ear 'I could have helped cook' she offered, Brax snickered and kissed Charlie's nose sweetly

'Baby, I love you…'

'But' Charlie interrupted him, rolling her eyes playfully

Brax bit his lower lip and turned around 'But, as proven on various occasions- you, _my darling wife_… cannot cook'

Charlie pouted lightly and pulled away, she kissed Ellie on the head and tickled her chin. 'You think mummy can cook, don't you baby girl?' Charlie asked in a baby-voice

Brax scoffed and continued to prepare the ice-cream pudding that he was preparing for the next day. 'Charlie, you feed her pureed fruits- any person who owns a decent blender could prepare that' He joked

Charlie laughed in surprise and she crossed her arms across her chest defensively 'Darryl Braxton, is that a challenge?

Brax took a step forward and wrapped his arms around Charlie's waist, 'I think that it is…' he murmered

'Fine, you and me. Cooking challenge, tomorrow at lunchtime. Whoever cooks the best meal wins- the family will be the judge' Charlie nodded excitedly

Brax smirked and kissed Charlie's lips softly; 'My dear, I think that you are forgetting that I own a restaurant… that sells actual _food' _he teased

'You pour alcoholic beverages' she scoffed 'Plus, I'm a woman which means that I have natural domestic talents'

'_Domestic talents_?' Brax sneered; he picked up Ellie from her high chair and faced Charlie,

'Sweetie, tell your mum that daddy is going to win' he grinned

'I happen to watch masterchef' Charlie defended

'Same with me' Brax raised an eyebrow and smiled cheekily

Charlie took a step closer to Brax and leant in close to his body, she stood on her tiptoes and whispered into his ear 'I also watch it on Fridays, for the master-classes'

That afternoon Matt, Heath, Amber and Romeo were joining Ruby, Ellie, Charlie and Brax for a pre-Christmas lunch.

Ruby stood in front of the mirror and fixed her make-up, she used the tip of her finger to wipe on a coat of red lip-gloss across her pouting lips. Brax came up behind her and smirked 'Rubz, it's a family lunch, not a red-carpet event'

Ruby elbowed Brax playfully and continued to curl her eyelashes while staring into the mirror 'I need to impress people' she added

'Matt?' Brax teased

'No… Romeo, why would I want to impress Matt?' Ruby laughed

Shit. It just peeped out! Brax was mentally cringing, he meant to say Romeo not Matt- oh well, it was bound to be said by someone.

Suddenly the doorbell rung and Ruby pounced towards the door, her shimmery black dress following behind her. The door swung open and obviously awkwardly, Matt and Romeo were standing next to each other. Romeo was staring at the floor uncomfortably and Matt was tapping his vans clad feet on the welcome mat impatiently.

'I brought flowers' Romeo smiled, passing a bunch of pink roses to Ruby. Matt scowled, mentally hitting himself for not thinking to bring flowers.

'Lovely' Ruby blushed, smelling the beautiful natural perfume of the roses

'I brought myself' Matt winked

'Also lovely!' Ruby grinned, kissing his cheek welcomingly.

The two boys walked inside after Ruby and took a seat on the couch next to an already arrived Heath and Amber.

'Matt' Heath acknowledged with a handshake

'Romeo' he added, noticing the blonde-haired boys presence.

'Hi' both the boys responded unanimously.

The room immediately fell into an excruciatingly painful silence as no-one knew what to say. Ruby entered the room and everyone subconsciously sighed, hoping that her arrival would help with the conversation.

'So, Matt when are you back to Uni?' Ruby asked, handing Romeo a beer and sitting opposite the boys on another couch

'A couple of weeks, I took extended leave for Georgie… I wanted to be here when she came home from hospital'

Romeo took a swig from his beer and darted his eyes to Matt '…Hospital? I always wondered where that Georgia detective chick went to, what is she in hospital for?'

Matt shifted uncomfortably in his seat and he glanced at Ruby looking for support. He wasn't sure what to say in response, it was such a private an personal matter that didn't seem necessary to mention.

'She is in a kind of rehab thing'

Romeos eyes widened with shock 'what, really? Is she a nasty drunk?' he laughed, attempting to lighten the atmosphere

Matt clenched his jaw tightly 'No. What a dick thing to say! My sister has been through hell in the last year and you joke about her being a bloody drunk!' he cried

'Nah mate it was just a joke!' Romeo replied quickly

'Its not a flipping joke! I miss my sister more than everything and I have been holding myself together by a thread… yet you have the decency to joke about her situation' Matt snapped, his eyes welling with overdue tears

Ruby stood up and walked in-between the boys, trying to lighten the situation. 'Matt chill out, Romeo was just trying to make conversation'

Matt stood up 'Of course you'd stand up for him' he rolled his eyes, walking into the kitchen to get away from the tense conditions.

Brax was standing in the kitchen with Charlie whom was feeding Ellie; Brax looked at Matt curiously as he stood in front of the bench grabbing a new beer, slamming the fridge door shut as a release of his frustration.

'That was some serious anger' Charlie murmered at Matt quietly

'I'm just sick of everyone being so laid back about the situation that we are in' he replied taking a swig of his beer. Charlie put a hand on his shoulder and gave it a friendly squeeze, she caught Matt's gaze in her eyes and smiled 'Sweetie, none of us have forgotten… we all remember Georgia and we miss her as well'

Matt reluctantly nodded and took another mouthful of his beer.

'All right, Matty-boy grab the salad. Charlie grab the baby and I shall grab the meat' Brax instructed with a wide grin.

.

Lunchtime began and the atmosphere was soothed. Matt and Romeo were safely separated at opposite ends of the table to avoid any further arguments. The family was in the midst of discussing Christmas, which was only one day away.

'I don't want anything, I have everything I want' Charlie shot a glance at Brax and blushed, the year had been so hectic and she was so grateful that everyone had survived and that her and Brax had gotten a family that they had always wanted.

'I want a car' Ruby grinned

'A toy car?' Charlie joked playfully

Ruby poked her tongue out at Charlie and winked.

'I want beer' Romeo laughed

'I want my sister back' Matt added softly

'I want my mummy back' Amber whispered

'I want… I want Georgie back.' Heath muttered before taking a long swig of the beer

'I would like…. More salad please?' Brax winked, Ruby passed him the salad bowl and everyone couldn't help feel disheartened by the atmosphere.

Suddenly the doorbell rung;

Heath glanced at Brax suspiciously; he raised an eyebrow as if to ask whether they were expecting anyone. Brax shook his head slowly in response and took a mouthful of salad off his plate. Heath shrugged and stood up, he walked towards the door 'Whoever it is, you are interrupting my steak lunch so it better be important!' Heath laughed while he unlocked the door. Standing in the doorway with her long ombre hair and thin, tan body was Georgia. She hadn't seen Heath in one year and they were both in awe of each others presence.

'Holy…' Heath drawled out

Suddenly a young girl gasped and dropped her fork on the table with a loud clatter 'Mummy!' Amber cried happily, she leaped off her chair and ran towards her mum. Georgia stepped forward and grabbed her daughter in a massive hug, she knelt down and pressed kisses into her daughters hair 'My beautiful girl, I love you so much, I missed you so so so much' tears began to slide down her cheeks as she finally touched her daughter after one year.

Amber pulled away after a second and stared into her mothers eyes 'Are you better?' she asked in a whimpering voice

'Much better' Georgia insisted with a newly discovered strength in her voice.

Back at the table Brax and Charlie were standing up, making there way over to the arrival of such a loved member of their family.

'That is a lot of Christmas wishes that have just been granted' Charlie smiled, watching as Georgia slowly pulled Heath into a passionate embrace.

'Yeah… now you just have to get Ruby a car'

.

.

.

**WOW… Guess what? That is not the last chapter, it was taking to long to get organized so I decided to split it into 2 sections.**

**The second portion will include Christmas day,**

**Brax and Charlie's cooking/masterchef challenge**

**And lots more family love x0x0**

**.**

**please please please review, I miss hearing yout thoughts! **


	20. Less CHAX- patience is love

**Wow! Please do not shoot me or take out your beautiful-angry-punches on CHAX, I am so so sorry- seriously because I also read ff's (vampire diaries ones DELENA) and I get so agitated when my faves take ages to update so I do "feel your pain" but seriously…**

**Omgsh, my beautiful readers! You are all so feisty about me updating!... and I love it! though, I am really sorry about how long it has taken- my family has recently gone through a lot of things, and I have struggled to deal with all of that let alone update my ff. You are all so gorgeous and patient and I love you so, please read and enjoy and review because I miss you, (some of your reviews made me so scared omg)! Xx**

**.**

Remember that time, all those months and drama filled days ago when Georgia nee Callahan arrived in the Yabby Creek Police station, dressed in an oversized gray shirt and a nervous smile plastered on her face. She hadn't seen her family in years, her daughter, Heath, best friend Brax and Casey. All this time later, she came back and then left but… now, she is back again. Her body looked weak, thin and protruding but her smile is what engaged everyone- it was a different smile to the last time she arrived, back then she put on a flirty grin but you could see the nervous look behind her eyes though, this next time her smile was wide and excited- she knew that she would make it. Georgia said hello to everyone including her niece Elly, after that the entire family perched on the lounge to catch-up.

'Uhhm, sorry guys but I just got a text from Indi; she wants me to pick her up. Her car broke down just outside of town' Romeo apologized, quickly grabbing his wallet and keys off the table

Ruby squirmed uncomfortably on the couch 'Why did she text _you_?'

'Her dad is at work' Romeo responded nonchalantly

Ruby rose from her seat and crossed her arms across her chest. 'What about Dex?'

'He is moving in with April today…. Look, Ruby is there an issue?' Romeo wiped his hand through his hair impatiently

'I just don't understand why she asked you to help her?' Ruby insisted

'Because we are still married and I still… lo-care about her!' Romeo replied stumbling over his words

Everyone looked at the ground awkwardly as Ruby continued to bicker with Romeo. Matt was biting his lip nervously and trying to subtly watch the tension filled conversation between Ruby and Romeo.

Ruby's eyes darkened with anger, 'You were going to say love; you still love her don't you' her voice spat icily

Georgia swallowed nervously 'Ruby sweetheart; Why don't you talk about it later' she suggested softly

Ruby shook her head and remained glaring at Romeo. 'Answer me Romeo. Be honest, for the love of god just don't lie to me!' she said, her lower lip trembling.

Romeo rested against the wall 'I don't… know' he admitted

'Do you love me?' she asked innocently

Romeo's eyes widened and he swallowed uncomfortably 'I care about you a lot'

Brax stood up and put an arm around Ruby, she leant back into her new stepfathers grip and closed her eyes to prevent tears from falling.

Suddenly Matt stood up and he kissed his sisters cheek quickly 'Look, Ruby- you and Romeo should go and chat. I'll pick up Indi for you'

Romeo smiled at him thankfully and passed the keys to Matt's outstretched hand. Ruby reluctantly followed Romeo into her bedroom where they decided they were going to chat.

'Matthew, are you sure you are okay with picking her up?' Charlie asked

'Yeah… I probably should try and make new friends' He replied

'More than friends, maybe?' Heath laughed with a wink

Matt blushed 'I only have like 2 friends in this town, so I'm only looking for friends right now'

.

Everyone thought that Ruby was still the girl whom Matt was crushing on but over the last few days; it had appeared that she would pick Romeo over him in any situation or discrepancy. He still loved Ruby, she was his best friend in the bay but he wouldn't admit to being inlove with her until she showed any respect for him.

Matt drove along the highway until he noticed a blond haired girl sitting on the bonnet of her red car. He pulled up his car and got out.

'You must be Indi' he grinned offering her his tan arm

She shook it slowly, sliding her body off the bonnet 'What gave it away?'

'Well unless there are two blonde haired girls who have a broken down red car' Matt laughed

Indi grinned and pushed her hair behind her ears. 'I think that my tire is flat' she kicked the front tire and pouted as it deflated a little bit further. Matt knelt down and felt around the dark rubber to try and identify whether there was a rip or not. 'I'm glad that it's a tire issue because I actually know how to change a tire- I was scared it was going to be an issue with the wires or battery so I used my phone and googled up mechanics for dummy's so that I could appear like I knew what I was doing' Matt admitted, he grabbed a tool box from his car and slid it next to him

'You don't have to pretend, I don't care if you don't know stuff about cars' she smiled softly

Matt felt a grin tug at his lips as he loosened the bolts on the wheel.

'So, you are Ruby's friend right?' Indi asked

'So, you are Romeos wife, right?' Matt winked before cringing and covering his face with his hands once he realized how awkward his comment appeared

Indi passed Matt a screw quietly before sitting on the grass next to the car, leaning her back against the car door.

'Sorry, I have a tendency to be extremally funny but my funniness often means that I sound like a jerk' Matt apologized, taking the flat tire off the axle and placing it next to his leg

'Its fine, I mean I guess I technically am his wife but… I just am sick of being inlove with someone who doesn't love me back- I would give anything for a man to want to be with me' she replied, playing with the grass with her fingers.

Matt smirked in agreement and left the tire for a moment, he swung his body around and sat next to Indi, taking a deep breath as he realized how similar the two of them were.

Indi smiled at him shyly, biting her lip and reluctantly looking away. ' Do you want a hand?' she asked quickly, moving the to the boot of the car to retrieve the spare tire. Matt watched as she raised the boot door and stuck her head in, digging around for that tire.

'Your family has been through a lot this year' Indi called out, trying to maintain conversation as she moved things around in her car

'Uh yeah, Charlie and Brax have definitely had a tough road' Matt laughed dryly

'Well yeah… but I was more referring to you and your sister' Indi responded, flashing Matt a quick smile.

He glanced at the ground; it was nice to have someone acknowledge your experiences. Ruby was always relating things to her, which was ok but Matt liked that Indi was showing interest in his own life.

'Oh yeah… Georgie and, I have sure been through a lot' he chuckled reaching out his arms to grab the tire off Indi.

She grabbed her long blonde locks and twisted them over her shoulder as Matt began to put on the new tire.

'You know, I've always wanted to talk to you but you are always near ruby… and… I' she stuttered, blushing embarrassedly 'I dunno, I just know that Ruby and I don't get along that well so I just assumed that you would- I mean _wouldn't _like me' she bit her lower lip.

Matt squinted up into the sun, his tan skin glowing under the heat rays. He rubbed a hand through his messy brown hair and gave Indi a small smile. In all his life, he had never had people be scared to talk to him . Yeah, his humor and sarcasm could annoy people but he had always taken after his elder sister Georgia in his easy-going attitude so it was quite surprising to hear from Indi that she was almost scared to speak to him.

'Well, I don't care what Ruby says about you… I like you' he grinned, which made Indi breathe a sigh of relief and drop her shoulders with glee.

'Good' she perked up, moving to put the flat tire in the back of her car.

'All done' Matt called out, standing up and admiring his handy work.

'It looks fabulous!' Indi grinned, clasping her hands together with excitement 'You could get a job as a tire-man' she joked

'I'm not sure that my law degree would like that' he smiled, bumping shoulders with Indi.

'Wow, Law? I would never have thought so' her eyes widened with shock and Matt rolled his eyes

He rose his hands in defense 'I know, I am much too handsome to be a lawyer, those pretty defense attorneys will fall to their knees and hand me over the case' he winked

'Sexist?' Indi scoffed, leaning against the door of her car and smiling.

'Very' Matt laughed taking ahold of his toolbox.

Indi shook her head as she tried to suppress giggles. Matt casually saluted her goodbye with a cheeky grin and she couldn't her blushing at his good-looking physique.

'Seeya Later Indi' he called out

'W-Wait' she called out awkwardly as he walked towards his own car. Matt spun on his heels and faced her with a curious look plastered across his face.

'I know we have just met but.. I am kind of lacking friends in this town and you seem ok…'

'Ok?' Matt scoffed with a wink

'Yeah _ok'_ she joked with a smug look over her face

'Cummon!'

'Fine, you are _lovely_. But, anyway. I was wondering whether you would like to go see a movie this afternoon?'

'My choice?' Matt debated

'Nothing with too much violence'

'No chick-flicks or romance movies or movies where singers try to become actors **cough cough** Rihanna- Taylor Swift… but sure, Deal' he grinned

'You are already a good lawyer' Indi laughed, waving and walking back towards her own car, not being able to shake the stupidly goofy grin that was stuck on her face. Matt got back in his own car and drove back down the street, as his car passed Indi he held his hand upto his ear and mimicked a mobile phone while mouthing, "I'll call you". Indi grinned and nodded while starting her own car and driving back down the long road towards the farmhouse.

.

'Soo' Charlie began to talk in a sultry voice; she walked towards Brax- shaking her hips dramatically. Her arms reached upto his collar and she tugged on it cheekily. '1 hour until our cook-off' she whispered into his ear

'I know. Now, I have made some rules. 4 judges, you can pick two and I will pick two'

Charlie nodded eagerly 'Ok uhhm'

'I have already chosen mine' Brax smirked looking chuffed; he leant against the countertop and rested his hands on the clean marble top.

'This will be good' Charlie laughed; she twirled her dark hair in her fingers and watch Brax- a comic look in her eyes.

'1. The prestigious Georgia Callahan-Braxton and the lovely Amber Braxton' Brax spoke swiftly and in a suave tone as if it was the easiest decision of his entire life.

'Nice' Charlie pouted in agreement 'an 11 year old and a 30ish year old' she laughed

'What can I say, my girls love me' Brax smirked. Charlie punched his chest playfully and scoffed, Brax grabbed hold of her slim wrists and pressed a quick kiss onto her knuckles. Charlie allowed a small smile to creep over her lips and she pulled her arms away from Brax.

'My choice is the beautiful… Ruby B and Heath'

'Your daughter and _my_ brother' He cocked an eyebrow, trying to scare Charlie. He could tell that it was working as his wife instantly bit her lower lip and her forehead creased with thought. Her mouth opened and closed a few times alike a fish as she obviously struggled to make up her mind. 'Uh wait. I change my mind. I am swapping Heath for Matt'

'Really'

'Uh... Well'

'Are you _really _sure?'

'I think so, I mean I know so; I choose Ruby and He- Matt, Matt'

Brax nodded in agreement 'Wait. We have to have Heath as well because otherwise he will be the only one attending whom isn't a judge'

'Ok fine, 5 judges' Charlie nodded

'And Georgia is bringing the cooking products' Brax added.

'Sounds perfect- Bring your spatula because you will be cooking up a storm!' Charlie laughed, knocking hips against Brax's body. He gave her a crooked smile and brushed his hands through his hair and nodded before turning around and sauntering towards their bedroom.

'Get ready to cook, baby!' Charlie called out in a singsong voice, her brown hair flowing down her back. Brax cocked his head to the side and caught Charlie's eyes in a quick gaze. 'I was born ready' his husky voice responded.

Meanwhile back at Heath and Georgia's house. They were also preparing for the cooking challenge, Georgia's ombre hair tied back in a messy plait and Heath with his usual sexy bed hair as they both stood near the kitchen counter, packing a bag of ingredients. Georgia's tan arms leant out, sorting through various ingredients as Heath leant against the counter merely watching his wife. It had been a year since he had seen her and even though it sounded stupid- he was glad to have her home doing simple things like sorting through vegetables because it just reminded his anxious heart that… its ok, she is back… its going to be ok.

'Stop staring at me' Georgia laughed 'My peripheral vision is a bitch'

Heath smiled and shook his head as her voice shook him out of his trance. 'I wasn't staring' he defended, sticking his chin out proudly

'You weren't blinking' Georgia cocked an eyebrow without turning away from the counter, her small hands still putting ingredients in the blue Woolworths esky bag.

'What are you packing?' Heath asked, peering into the bag while changing the subject

'Uh, I am kind of just packing whatever' Georgia shrugged 'We have the ah beautiful pizza bases, the _ala pizza_ sauce, the vegetables, la herbs, la spices' She mimicked a French accent

'I get it, a lot of green stuff' he laughed

Georgia nodded and Heath was suddenly overwhelmed with an consuming feeling of worry, he knew that since Georgie had come out of rehab she was still severely anorexic and was struggling to eat and seeing her handle all the food, packing it away to be cooked made him wonder whether she was actually planning on eating anything.

'Look Georg… we haven't talked about… you… your rehab and I'm just wondering what I can do to help'

'Nothing' she cut him off sternly, her voice suddenly sounding emotionless and snappy

Heath sighed, he knew that she would be defensive over everything relating to her personal health; 'Babe… please just at least tell me, are you eating?' he asked, trying to appear strong yet his entire body was shaking with fear, he was so encaptured with worry about Georgia. twice in his life, two times Heath had had to live without Georgia- the first was when she left him all those years ago, running away from a proposal and a family and the second time was the yearlong rehab. Heath couldn't handle even thinking about the fact that Georgia wouldn't pull through for a third time.

'I don't eat, Not because I don't like food- I like having control over my weight because I felt like it was the only thing that I could control… now that I'm out of hospital, I vow to try and improve for the sole benefit of my family, I ate a cup of berries for breakfast but I cant promise anything else' She paused and took a deep breath 'I wish that I could.. but I don't like breaking promises' her soft voice echoed

'Ok' Heath smiled, he slowly stretched out an arm and stroked Georgia's arm, she nestled into his touch and maintained eye contact with Heath, attempting to give him hope. 'But, please can we talk about this later- I just want to have a goodtime' Georgia forced a smile and shook her head quickly, attempting to shake away the bad thoughts. 'Yeah, uh ok but… I um never mind, do you need any help packing the ingredients?'

'Yeah, look I'm fine but I'm going to be another couple of minutes, can you ask Ambz to get dressed because she takes after her father in the realms of procrastination.'

Heath rolled his eyes before pressing a quick kiss onto the top of Georgia's head. He loved hearing her witty comments because as stupid as it seemed- while she was in rehab, he had really missed hearing the constant backchat and sarcasm that his wife always seemed to love exploiting.

'Pack a couple of beers' Heath added before leaving the kitchen to go convince Amber to change out of her high school musical pajamas into some more presentable clothing.

'I already have!' Georgia replied in a singsong voice, raising a nearby bag, which made the friendly clinking sound of wonderful alcoholic beverages.

'You know me too well' Heath laughed, beginning to walk up the stairs to Amber's room

'Sadly!' he heard Georgia's voice reply, he could practically imagine her rolling her laugh and biting her lip to hold back childish giggles. He knew her too well. Just the way it should be.

Heath knocked on Amber's door and slowly opened it, not wanting to disrupt her from doing whatever she was doing. He found her sitting on the floor, her arms flooded with wrapping paper and her light hair all fluffed about with a bothered look roaming her face.

'Hey gorgeous' Heath smiled, sliding his body into the bedroom

'Dad, go away I am super busy' She responded, leaning her slight body over and attempting to cover the fountain of red and green wrapping paper that was resting in-between her outstretched legs.

'We have to go to Uncle Brax's in a couple of minutes' Heath added softly, confused at what she was doing

'I know, I am already dressed' She nodded towards her blue dress that she was donning. Heath cocked an eyebrow; he was fully expectant and prepared to have to convince her to get changed out of her pajamas.

'What are you wrapping there…'

'A present' she replied simply

'Who for?' Heath asked, taking a cautious step towards her

'No-one..'

'Can I guess?' Heath asked, he had already seen the small card that had "_Dear Mummy" _written across it, resting under a corner of the wrapping paper

'Sure'

'Uncle Brax?' Heath fake guessed, wanting Amber to think that he was struggling

'Nope'

'Uncle Matt'

'No No' she giggled playfully

'Me?' Heath asked, raising his eyebrows with exaggerated hope

'No daddy'

'..Mummy?'

Amber's grin widened and she nodded in defeat, she moved her arms away and Heath saw that it was a decorated t-shirt covered with fabric painted quotes and pictures, Heath remembered Georgia mentioning that she loved Amber's sleep shirt and that she wished she could have one, Amber must have taken her seriously because she had purchased a white shirt with her pocket-money and bought fabric paints and then designed a pretty pattern on it for Georgia, it was the sweetest thing that he had seen in a while.

'That's pretty, sweetheart. Mum will love it' Heath smiled as his daughter continued to wrap the gift, her small hands covered with layers of ribbon and sticky tape. He would have offered to help but he knew that Amber took after her mother with the characteristic of independence, a striking trait that encouraged her to want to do things on her own.

'Ok, come downstairs in about 5 minutes because we have to get going'

.

Brax being his usual spontaneous self decided that a last minute change of location was necessary to add an extra burst of flavor to the CHARLIE VS BRAX masterchef challenge. He had called up the staff at Angelos and told them to close the restaurant for the rest of the day so that Brax could make use of the commercial kitchen for their cooking challenge.

The family set up inside the restaurant, Brax and Charlie both donning cheesy- chef hats and white aprons that had "His" and "Hers" embroidered across them.

'Ok, my lovely friends- You each have 1 hour to cook the best meal and it has to include 3 of the fresh, delicious ingredients inside the green Coles bags' Georgia announced proudly, cuddling into the cushions of the small booths against the side of the restaurant.

'Subtle product placement George' Heath smirked, nudging her arm playfully

Georgia pouted but rolled her eyes reluctantly.

Charlie giggled eagerly and gave Brax a keen hug. She kissed his lips quickly and Brax responded by playfully pushing her hat down her head so that it covered her eyes. Charlie swatted him away and broke out into a fit of laughter while adjusting her chef-hat.

'Foul Play Mr. Braxton' Charlie poked her tongue out at her cheeky husband.

He shrugged his arms dismissively and leant forward awkwardly, placing a quick apologetic kiss onto her cheek.

'Yeah yeah, smooth' she laughed, leaning into the touch of his lips against her skin

Ruby grunted suddenly, her eyes glaring at Charlie. 'I usually am all for the PDA but can you hurry up and cook because I am hungry'

Charlie snorted at her daughter and purposely grabbed Brax's but, laughing as both her and Heath grimaced.

.

**Guys! I was going to make this chapter longer but you have all been so crazy-angry with me that I decided to give you a mini-not-very-much-chax chapter BUT I PROMISE I WILL UPDATE SOON- but but please give me happy reviews because I have been having a really tough time and and waah **** I love CHAX but I love you guys more (don't tell) haha**


	21. Remembering The Braxtons

**KISSES! Lovely people, have we heard the news! Charlie is returning! Out of my friends, I seem to be one of the only people excited about it (most of them are hooked on Natalie) but, my love for CHAX hasn't expired yet so I am more than ready for her return;**

**Sorry for the late update, Thankyou for your kind words and PMs about my current personal situation. This is the last chapter for this story, I will miss my characters and all of the stories that they went through, especially Georgia because if I am being honest for you guys because I feel that we know each other Haha xx I actually based elements of her personality and storylines my friends, families and my own experiences which is why I am proud that she survived because it gives me strength, that my family and I will survive the troubles that this year has brought.**

**Even if you have never reviewed before, I would love it more than anything if you could share one for me on this chapter because I would like to say a proper farewell to you all (although, I have already planned more CHAX ff's I know some of you will never read my things again) xxx I love you all and all of your kind reviews- they have given me the strength to continue writing. **

**.**

Charlie groaned loudly as she watched the boiling pot overflow. The bubbly water spat out at her tan hands, burning sprays of hot steam into her skin. The fire began to be tempted by the water as it swirled around the sides of the metal pot, hugging the sides with its orange and red streaks.

'Ouch' Charlie muttered, jumping away as some of the water hit her eye

Brax glanced over at his wife; it was a subconscious tendency to check that she was ok whenever she expelled a noise that suggested pain.

'Turn the heat down' Brax told her, chopping up carrot julienne style while keeping a wary eye on Charlie.

She bit her lip and quickly flicked the heat off.

'Wow, this competition is _heating _up' Matt smiled cheekily, knocking shoulders with Heath who just rolled his eyes and smirked at Matt's goofy sense of humor.

The Masterchef challenge between Brax and Charlie had been going for around ½ an hour, Brax had merrily been preparing some sort of Asian curry, dicing all sorts of vegetables into small pieces while Charlie had been fighting a battle with boiling water, attempting to make pasta and squish tomato's into a paste.

'It looks like blood' Georgia whispered under her breath, glancing at the pot of semi-pureed tomatoes.

'Shut it G' Charlie smirked, re-squishing the bowl of tomato with a fork; strange squishing noises escaped the bowl as the remaining tomato turned into a thick… slop.

'Hunny, you need help' Georgia laughed

Brax laughed loudly 'Callahan, stay back! Masterchef is about winning by _yourself'_ he poked his tongue out at his old friend.

'But family is about helping' Georgia snapped, raising her eyebrows cheekily and intentionally pushing over a bowl of Brax's chopped carrots before jumping up to assist Charlie. Charlie couldn't help but smile, she had missed Georgia especially her witty statements in family situations. She seemed to be the only one stubborn and brave enough to challenge Brax on his just-as-humorous comments. She looped a tan arm around Georgia's slender shoulders and kissed her cheek as she watched her sister-in-law begin to add various herbs to her tomato paste. 'Georgia C, you cannot just help Charlie, this is a very serious challenge' Brax cried, in mock frustration

'Charlie is disqualified' Brax smirked, giving his wife a crooked grin

'Um no, we are the judges' Matt added 'And… we say that Charlie and Georgia are still in the running'

Brax groaned under his breath as he watched his wife and best friend giggle merrily as they reassembled Charlie's mess of cooking.

'30 minutes guys, chop chop!' Ruby exclaimed merrily

Heath was getting bored, he loved his family but this just resembled a bad TV show and he watches enough of that with a young wife who seems to have an obsession with every television show under the sun. He glanced at the cooking scene quickly and suddenly noticed that Brax's sautéed onions were beginning to burn. Brax was tied up with chopping even more vegetables. Heath casually came to a stand and turned the heat off from Brax's fry pan, just as he turned to go sit back down, Matt's voice surprised him 'It seems that team Braxton has expanded- we now have Heath and Darryl'

'No, I was just turning the heat off' Heath rose his hands in defense

'Nooo, Heath help your brother, he is struggling' Georgia pouted at her husband from across the room.

'If they get more people, I want more people Charlie' piped up

'We shotgun Ruby!' The girls called out

'We shotgun….'Brax called out in a panic, it was between the cheeky 20 year old and his young niece.

Matt came to an expectant stand and rolled his eyes as he noticed that Brax hadn't said his name yet. 'Oh come on! Its me or what a 10 year old?'

'I'm 11.' Amber snapped crossing her arms 'Plus, at least I know the different between a fruit and vegetable'

Matt groaned 'It looked like a mango, I didn't realize that it was a sweet potato!' He rolled his eyes as his witty niece reminded him of one of his not-so-impressive cooking days.

'And for that reason, we choose Amber' Brax winked as Amber skipped up to the bench.

Matt sat back down by himself and got out his phone.

**1 NEW TEXT**

**+614507814987**

**Movie in 2 hours?**

**X Indi **

He smirked at replied

**See you there,**

**What movie?**

**. **Ruby looked up as she saw Matt blushing at the screen of his phone, she jealously bit her lip- who was he texting? Since when did anyone in summer bay make him smile like that?

'Who are you texting Matt?' Ruby asked casually, glancing at him from beneath her long lashes.

'Just a friend, I'm going to the movies later' He answered casually (though secretly he was exceptionally happy that he finally had a friend to hangout with apart from Ruby), slipping his mobile back in his pocket.

Ruby scoffed jealously 'Since when do you have any friends apart from me, you charity case' she attempted to joke- though it came out bitter and snappy.

Matt tensed up at her comment and Ruby could feel everyone's angry stares piercing into her face.

'I can't believe I ever thought I loved you' Matt muttered under his breath, standing up and walking out of Angelos without another word. Ruby bit the inside of her cheek- why did she have to ruin everything.

'Ruby, over the last few days it seems that Matt has been making an effort to make more friends and if you keep speaking to people the way you just spoke to my brother, then sorry hunny… but you will be the charity case' Georgia said

Ruby was then embarrassed, everyone was looking at her with pity- anger rose in her stomach and she turned to Georgia with an irritated pout on her lips. 'I'm not the charity case Georgia, unlike you' the last two words slipped out.

Georgia dropped the knife she was using in shock and it landed on the ground with a loud clatter. She clenched her jaw together and tears brimmed in her eyes. The last year had been terrible, she was still dealing with anorexia and recovering from depression and self-harm, she was strong though and didn't think that she was the "charity case" –as Ruby had stated, though… even through her strong persona, it hurt more than anything to know that that's what Ruby viewed her as… a stupid charity case.

'I'm going to leave' she spoke quietly

'Georgia, I'm-' Ruby tried to apologize

'Save it Ruby' Heath snapped

'Heath' Ruby breathed, hating the feeling that everyone was angry at her days before Christmas.

'No, Heath is right. Ruby your language has been disgraceful over the last few days' Charlie dropped her head, unwilling to make eye contact with her daughter.

'Come on Amber baby, lets go home' Heath grabbed her hand and slung his other arm protectively around Georgia's body. He kissed her cheek and whispered into her ear 'I'll call Matt, check that he is ok' Heath told Georgia whom nodded in response, not daring to speak as they made their way out of the restaurant and towards the carpark. Just as Amber and Georgia begun to walk down the stairs, Heath poked his head back into the restaurant, making sure that Georgia couldn't hear him he gave Ruby a disappointed look 'Get your act together Ruby, you better hope that your comment didn't just take us two steps backwards… we cant afford any backtracking right now' He lowered his head and ran down the steps to catch up to his wife and daughter.

And like any good television show, the BRAXTON masterchef ended with drama.

.

Ruby sat on the couch at home opposite Brax and Charlie. It was the first time that they required their united parenting front. Brax had had experience with Casey though, it felt different with Ruby because he was like her father now and he was genuinely concerned with the way she had been acting to everyone.

Charlie looked down at her feet unsure what to say, Brax slid a comforting arm around her waist and pressed a kiss to the back of her neck.

'Thanks' she murmered

'Can I go now?' Ruby asked awkwardly, turning towards the hallway. She twisted locks of her hair in-between her fingers, her lip caught between her teeth.

'Um…' Brax muttered, unsure of what Charlie wanted to say, he gave his wife a sideways glance- Brax wasn't sure whether he should take a lead on the discussion with Ruby or if Charlie would want to hold the front.

'No' his wife stated firmly in a very low thin voice, her elbows resting on her knees, vibrating lightly.

'Mum, I apologized to Georgia- its fine' Ruby crossed her arms across her chest uncomfortably

'No, god dammit' Charlie shouted, startling both Ruby and Brax.

Charlie looked up at Ruby 'Your behavior today and yesterday and… well from the past while has been horrible'

'Mum-'

'No, don't interrupt your mother' Brax stated, placing an arm across Charlie's lap, squeezing her knee supportively.

Charlie couldn't help internally smiling, she liked that Brax was defending her in a serious parenting matter.

'Hunny, what's going on? Why are you acting out so much?' Charlie asked Ruby, her voice softening

Ruby shuffled awkwardly on the couch for a moment before resting against a pillow and allowing stray tears to fall down her cheeks.

'Romeo and I didn't work.' She murmered

'That is a shame but- you don't have the right to take it out on your family.' Charlie responded

'I was just embarrassed, I uh um' Ruby wiped her nose and cheeks to remove the stray teary debri

'I'm alone again, no Xavier, no Romeo and no… Casey' she bit her lip to stop more cries from escaping

Charlie's face immediately softened 'Oh god sweetheart'

'What if he was it for me? What if Casey was the one for me and now he is… now he is gone' Ruby sat up, tearful and a very worried expression marrying her face. Casey had been dead for months and months now but everyone seemed to have dismissed the fact that Ruby was still hurting because of it all. Brax moved off from the couch and pulled Ruby into a hug. This sweet gesture seemed to be the trigger and Ruby broke down into deep emotional cries, Brax's arms stroked her back comfortingly and Charlie watched onwards as the two people she loved most, bonded over the memory of someone whom they both loved. It was a beautiful and intimate moment to observe and Charlie couldn't help smiling because it seemed that this hug symbolized Ruby accepting Brax into her life as a permanent fixture.

'What if he was my soulmate?' Ruby whispered to Brax

'He may very well have been… but that doesn't mean that you won't find a new one' Brax replied, his voice low and husky, a mere whisper.

'What if I can't find anyone?' Ruby sniffled, leaning into Brax's arms

'I did' Brax gave Charlie a small shy smile 'You will too, it just might take a while'

Charlie took a deep breath and placed her hand on the small of Brax's back, he relaxed into her touch and knew that this moment was pure and real.

As the hug separated, Ruby wiped her eyes and surprisingly Brax didn't move back next to Charlie- he remained next to Ruby, an arm casually draped around her shoulders.

'Ruby apart from you being upset with Casey… it wasn't right too-' Charlie stammered over her words

Brax caught her eyes and gave her a soft nod as if to say "its ok"

'I think what your mum means is that- your attitude has been rude and we can't just forget that'

'I'm an adult, I don't have to sit through these discussions' Ruby responded, her voice gentle- she knew that she was treading thinly

'Yeah sure. You _are _an adult but your behavior is beneath that, act your age' Brax replied

'Matt will get over It, I was just teasing' Ruby defended

Charlie squeezed her eyes shut and groaned under her breath, 'Ruby, you can't just assume that. Matt puts up with loads of your bullshit- one day, he isn't going to forgive you'

'Its not like I hurt the guy, you are overreacting Charlie!' Ruby scoffed, putting her arms across her lap defensively.

'For gods sake Ruby! Matt aside- you called my best friend a charity case. She has had anorexia, depression and she used to self-harm. I am so proud of her for trying to get better because I know that recognizing the issue is almost impossible for someone with those disorders because it consumes your life until living in that dark place… is your life. She is not a charity case and I think that you owe her one of the biggest apologies because calling someone like Georgia whom has more innerstrength than all of us something so harsh, is weak' Brax insisted, he removed his arm from around Ruby and edged away from her on the couch.

Charlie bit her lip, she knew that Ruby was acting out and she could tell that Brax was hurting, the Callahan family had been in his life for years and with Ruby offending them… it offended him… that's called love.

'I'll call Georgia and Matt… Ill apologize then' Ruby murmered, not daring to make eye contact with either of the adults in the room.

'No' Charlie said firmly 'You will tell them both directly'

Ruby nodded solemnly.

Brax walked over to Charlie and wrapped her in a hug. She exhaled once his warm arms were around her body. 'You did good' Brax said softly

'I love you' Charlie replied, she knew from Brax's mature attempt at discipline that when Ellie would be a teenager, he would be the perfect father- sweet, sensitive yet knowing where to draw the line in relation to behavioral outbursts.

.

Heath wandered down the stairs, he sat opposite Georgia who was sipping a hot drink while staring blankly at the wall.

'Mocha?' Heath asked

'Black coffee' she replied quietly

'You hate black coffee…'

'I know' Georgia answered, taking another sip from the mug. Her spidery fingers clutching the mug;

Heath didn't know what too say, he knew that Georgia was hiding her hurt from the incident at Angelos.

'Do you. Uh um, want anything for lunch?' Heath asked slowly, stumbling over his words

'I'll have some later' she replied simply

Heath couldn't help feeling his heartbreak a little, because he knew very well… that she wouldn't.

'What's wrong Callahan?' Heath asked flatly, sliding his chair closer to Georgia.

'Life' she responded

'Only if you make it' Heaths voice cracked as her cupped Georgia's cold hands in his own.

A single tear slid down her cheek and she bit her lip suddenly- her sad doe eyes widened and caught Heaths glance in her own.

'I don't want to kill myself anymore' Georgia whispered

Heath's body clenched up, even just hearing those words escape the lips of the woman he loved was difficult to condone.

'I still have days when I want to die though'

Heath nodded uncomfortably, not knowing how to respond to such an intimate topic.

'Do you want me to call your Dr, so you can talk to him?' Heath asked, reaching for his mobile

'No, no, I want to talk to you' Georgia breathed, a small smile growing beneath her tear stained cheeks.

Heath couldn't help feeling a massive improvement, finally Georgia wanted to confide in him- after nights where he would go to sleep, hearing her cry herself to sleep, heartbreaking sobs just vibrating through her body and him not daring to touch her. This was a breakthrough, it may be small but the small ones are the safe ones.

'Ruby didn't mean it… what she said about you being the charity case' Heath said firmly

Georgia reluctantly nodded 'Mmm, I know. I'm not a charity case but it just scares me to think that other people see me that way'

'You shouldn't care about what people think' Heath replied gruffly

'I know, but I do' Georgia admitted

At that moment, they heard a knock on the door. Heath rose to get it and Georgia immediately wiped her bloodshot eyes and sniffed away her runny nose.

'Its me Ruby' a small voice echoed through the door.

Heath immediately faced Georgia, his eyes widening with question.

She nodded 'Yeah, let her in'

Georgia came to a stand and stood opposite Ruby whom looked uncontrollably nervous with the situation.

Heath backed away slowly to leave the two girls alone; he wandered up the stairs to check on Amber.

'Hi' Ruby murmered, a shaky smile on her lips

Georgia forced a smile in response 'Hello'

'How are you?' Ruby asked imitating smalltalk to procrastinate from the real reason of why she needed to talk to Georgia

'Tired and upset' Georgia answered truthfully

Ruby bit her lip at the response; she tucked her hair behind her ears- a nervous instinct that Georgia recognized.

'What can I do for you?' Georgia sighed

'I want to apologize for before… at Angelos, I was just angry and embarrassed and ugh I'm sorry'

Georgia nodded 'Did Charlie ask you to apologize?'

'Yes' Ruby muttered guiltily, staring at her feet.

'Thankyou for being honest, I appreciate that' Georgia said softly

'But... that doesn't mean that its not genuine because it is! I really respect you and your journey…'

'Journey? Sweetheart, depression is not a journey, it's a fucking challenge' Georgia laughed

Ruby smiled 'Exactly, you survived it with the same witty humor and I'm sorry that I disrespected that. '

Georgia winked ' Now, that is an apology that I accept!' she pulled Ruby into a hug and kissed her head amorously

'Don't worry, I always say things without thinking- it's a Callahan trait- you have just spent too much time with us, we have infected you with sarcasm and foot-in-mouth' Georgia giggled into Ruby's ear.

'Speaking of the other Callahan's…' Ruby sighed 'Matt… how is he?'

'Fine, he is still at the movies though. He probably just needs a break- you too should spend some time apart, it will help you value what you have more' Georgia replied.

'Who is he with?' Ruby asked

'Indi, they bonded apparently while Matt was attempting to fix her car' Georgia shrugged dismissively

'Is it a date…'

Georgia shrugged 'I don't know, why do you care?'

'I don't know' Ruby admitted.

.

The day ended. People had cried, laughed, kissed, blushed and more. It was a day of intense pain, love and realization. Ruby realized that Brax is now her father, Georgia realized that she was still in a bad place, Charlie realized that Brax was going to be an incredible father, Heath realized that Georgia needed him more than he thought, Brax realized that he wasn't the only one whom was still hurting over the loss of Casey and Matt realized that he wasn't sure if he was actually still inlove with Ruby.

Man, that is one hell of an epiphany!

The next day was Christmas, the morning was a stereotype. Brax woke up early to put presents under the tree (while tripping over a baby toy and therefore waking up Ellie whom woke up Charlie)- Braxton Christmas began at around 5:00 that morning… Heath decided for one year that in their house they would not do a Christmas breakfast, presents, hot drinks and Amber in her new Santa-onesie was enough because Heath knew that his wife was dreading all of the Christmas meals where family would be staring at her as she merely cut up her food roughly- not letting a piece of it touch her lips. Since their conversation last night, Heath decided that supporting Georgia instead of forcing her would be a better way to help her.

Matt was in a good mood when he had gotten home from the movies, the previous night so he decided to decorate Ambers room with fake snow before she woke up.

It was an honestly magic moment in both the households, because although there were underlying issues- everyone just sucked it up for Christmas because family do that… they suck it up on important days so that everyone can enjoy themselves.

'Merry Christmas gorgeous!' Brax kissed Charlie's head as she rocked Ellie in her arms.

'Is it even morning yet' Charlie groaned, nuzzling her head into the crook of Brax's neck.

'Yes, sleepyhead. Its 5:05' Brax replied cheerfully

'Ugh, why did you have to wake Ell up so early' Charlie pouted.

Brax kissed her pouted lips before taking Ellie out of Charlie's arms.

'You know, I am not a morning person' Charlie added

'Yes, which is why I have a croissant, fruit salad, coffee and block of chocolate in the kitchen for you to eat' Brax grinned sweetly, he had purchased the food the night before with the knowledge that Charlie would need to eat before she was in a festive mood.

'Love you' she murmered sleepily, her uggboots squeaking across the timber floor as she made her way into the kitchen.

Charlie sat in the kitchen and smiled at the cute layout of food, Brax had even attempted to arrange the food in a festive pattern. It was cute, really cute. Charlie could feel the goofy grin burning up her mouth- Brax was adorable when he was in a Christmassy mood.

'Thankyou for the food' Charlie drawled out

She could practically hear Brax roll his eyes and grin with excitement.

After their breakfast, Brax invited Heath and Georgia over with Amber so that they could unwrap presents together- since everything that they had been through, it felt strange to spend time apart.

'Brax, who is coming over- I need to know how much food to prepare?'

Brax poked his head into the kitchen and bit his lip nervously; he fiddled with the phone before shaking his hair and flipping it messily in a boyish fashion.

'I uh, we aren't having lunch today…' Brax explained

Charlie placed Ellie in her highchair and wiped her hands on her oversized shirt before facing Brax

'Why not? I had chicken, potato, pudding, ice-cream and even the gravy Heath likes prepared for today' Charlie asked, a slight pout on her lips

'Um… Heath was the one who asked. He uh, doesn't want anyone to have lunch while they are together'

'Why?'

Brax gave a small smile 'For Georgia, apparently he doesn't want to make her uncomfortable with everyone eating while she doesn't'

'But, wont seeing us eat- help convince her?' Charlie questioned, casually stroking the soft dark hair

Brax took a step forward and kissed the top of Charlie's head, gosh his wife was so sweet and considerate yet oblivious to the darkness that still hid in the world.

'It doesn't always work that way' Brax breathed huskily into Charlie's ear.

Charlie nestled into Brax's grip and kissed his neck sweetly, her soft touch forced him to exhale shallow, shaky breaths.

Charlie snickered and giggled into his neck, Brax responded by lightly pulling her away and repositioning their bodies next to the countertop. He stroked her hair out of her eyes and watched as Charlie blushed under his heated glance.

'I miss when you looked at me like that' Charlie smiled lightly, her eyes hiding beneath her thick row of dark lashes.

Brax's eyes widened and he caressed her cheek softly with the pad of his thumb 'What do you mean?', voice low and husky

Charlie bit her lip and placed her hand on top of Brax's 'When we were dating, we had so much time for each other but now, every hour of every day is consumed by other stuff'

Brax nodded guiltily and ducked his head in shame 'With my brothers, Ruby, Georgia…'

'Yeah, but its _good_ consumed though' Charlie insisted 'I like being involved with everything, I just think we need more alone time'

Brax nodded happily, a closed-mouth grin infecting his face. 'Love the idea babe but… It is Christmas today which is about family'

'I know' Charlie insisted nodding with convincement 'But' she added, placing a finger on Brax's arm and swaying her hips suggestively into the middle of Brax's body 'Boxing Day… is just for me and you'

'And Ellie… '

'And Ell' Charlie agreed, shaking Brax's hand in order to finalize the agreement.

Footsteps clambered up the steps and Ruby ran to the door to open it, she was donning an oversized Santa-hat which fell cutely over one of her eyes and a white shirt-dress, no need to dress up for family!

The door swung open and there stood Heath, Georgia, Matt and Amber- all except for Georgia donning an emotionless face. Ruby immediately burst out laughing as she took in what they were all wearing. Heath in a Santa-suit, complete with beer gut and beard. Amber was in a little red dress, green tights and velvet headband as a little elf, Georgia in a Mrs. Santa shirt with leather tights underneath and Matt… in a white shirt and white shorts and white socks with white vans.

'Merry Christmas' Georgia grinned, swallowing Ruby in a massive hug

'For the record, Georgia literally forced us too dress up' Heath added, flicking pieces of his beard out of his mouth

'For the record, I am a piece of snow' Matt added flatly

'I ran out of costume ideas for Matt' Georgia shrugged, releasing Ruby from a hug and eagerly walking into the Braxton household.

Heath and Amber both kissed Ruby's cheek before entering and just Matt tried to sneak past Ruby, without having to say hello but Ruby took a step to the side in order to stop him from passing. Matt stuck his hands in his pockets and bit his lip, looking at the floor.

'Hey Ruby'

Ruby forced a smile, she could tell from Matt's not-so-subtle attitude, that he was still annoyed with her from the incident at Angelos

'You look like an albino' She attempted to make a joke, laughing dryly at herself

Matt just shook his head and walked past her 'Merry Christmas' he muttered in a low voice.

Ruby couldn't help pouting, she didn't want to lose Matt, and he was a great friend and had really become an essential person in her life during the past few months.

The family sat around the couch, everyone leaning on each other. It would have been a pretty picture, the entire family all just relaxing together.

Presents were opened until the only ones left were ones from Brax and Georgia.

Surprisingly Brax stood up suddenly, jolting everyone out of their daze and focusing on him, his hands clutched two gifts tightly and he smiled warmly at his family.

'I would like to say Merry Christmas to everyone. I uh… I am incredibly blessed to know everyone and I wouldn't have made it without you. A special recognition to my girl Georgie-C, it is no secret that you have survived an incredibly ordeal the last two years and I need you too know that I love you more than ever- you have always been and will always be my best friend, I am so proud of you and I promise you, that I will be by your side every step of the way because you' he paused and shot Georgia a cheeky grin 'Well, with this massive family always around, you will never be without support. Um, I bought you this present a couple of months ago actually' Brax hesitantly passed a teary-eyed Georgia her present. She tentatively stroked the paper and everyone couldn't help watch as Georgia slowly unwrapped it to find a small black box, she pushed her hair behind her ears and bit her lip tightly before opening the box and gasping. It was a small necklace with a locket in the middle of it; inside the delicately formed locket was a tiny, faded image of two small children. Under closer inspection it could be seen that it was an image of Georgia kissing Brax's cheek at one of her childhood parties, tears brimmed at her eyes as she realized how long ago it was.

'Merry Christmas' Brax mouthed as Georgia silently held the locket upto her chest and gave Brax one of the most grateful smiles he had ever received from her.

After a moment Brax stood up again. 'If this one is for Georgia, I think that we are going to have to do some trading' Matt joked

Brax rolled his eyes 'No, this is actually just for Charlie'

His wife blinked her eyes unexpectantly 'But… what?' she mumbled, having already received a beautiful necklace from her husband.

'Charlie, I present to you… tickets for you, me and Ell to travel too Italy for three weeks in March' Brax handed her an envelope which Charlie could hardly even accept, her mouth still wide open with shock.

'You said to me that you wished we could have more alone time, so I decided to give you three weeks where its just you, me and Ell- we can escape from life and just live as if we were dating again with the same freedom, adventure and… S E X' Brax spelt out causing a loud smirk to escape from Matt. 'as we used to have' he continued

Charlie blushed at the statement but ignored her embarrassment and immediately encased Brax into a warm embrace; this was such an excessive present yet it was so thoughtful and kind. Charlie was so proud to be known as Mrs. Braxton because her husband was the most beautiful, amazing person she had ever met. Charlie came to a stand and timidly wrapped her hands around Brax's waist, her soft lips kissed his cheeks hurriedly and Brax responded by biting his lip and slipping the envelope of plane tickets down the back of Charlie's shorts.

'Lucky girl' Ruby gushed, raising her hands upto her cheeks and grinning jealously at Charlie.

'Well, another Christmas announcement, I am moving out of Heaths house!' Matt grinned proudly

'Finally!' Heath drawled out with a wink

'Where are you going to live, sweetie?' Georgia asked

'Um well- I'm actually going to go back to Sydney to finish my degree' Matt smiled proudly

Georgia grinned at her brother excitedly and she leant over and pressed a kiss onto his cheek. 'Good job' her hushed voice whispered into his ear.

'Well, I was chatting to Indi yesterday and she encouraged me to finish what I've started before getting invested in things or well… people that are never going to work out'

'Mr badass Lawyer' Heath cheered, whistling excitedly

'You have the right to remain silent, anything you do say- can and will be used against you in the court of law' Georgia acted out in an overdramatic voice

'In the court of law with Matt!' Heath added happily.

Ruby nibbled on her lip nervously, tears springing to her eyes for some unknown reason.

Matt blushed and fiddled with the scraps of wrapping paper that lay at his feet. 'Yeah, yeah. Well, I am leaving on the 1st of January.'

…

INFO ON HOW THE LIVES OF THE CHARACTERS PROGRESS (different jumps in time):

**Matthew Callahan, Indi Smith (nee. Walker) & Ruby Buckton **

**LISTEN TO: Punching In a Dream**

He tapped the armrest of the car quietly and stared out the window, watching the passing buildings as the car drove onwards. Indi was driving him to the train station, he knew that it would be too hard to say goodbye to his sister if she drove him to the train station instead.

'10 minutes' Indi said

'Huh?' Matt asked, coming out of his daze

'Well, I have just decided to count how long there has been an obvious awkward silence in this car' Indi smiled, crooking her head towards Matt as she continued to drive down the street.

Matt smirked lightly and leant back against the leather-cushioned seat. 'Sorry, I'm just… I just miss people'

'How… did your goodbye with Ruby go?' Indi murmered

'What goodbye' he scoffed under his breath, Indi released a deep breath in response. She knew about how rocky their friendship had been ever since Christmas Eve. Ruby had been trying to reform a friendship but Matt was sick of being offended and ignored by Ruby- he had been hurt enough by the people he loved in life and was sick of forgiving people to then have them be just as rude and juvenile as they were before.

'You still love her…' Indi breathed, knowing that she had to tread lightly or Matt would shutdown and not want to talk to her

'No, I don't'

'But you want to'

'I can't love her. She takes me for granted'

Indi nodded, she could understand where Matt was coming from. It was always hard to forgive someone but it's even harder to forget.

'Romeo and I forgave each other'

'Yeah, but you guys were well _are _married… Ruby and I were never even dating, there was limited trust to start with'

'Bullshit!' Indi laughed, accidently honking the horn in the process. 'Matthew, you both trusted each other and… you still _do_ trust her which is why you are so reluctant about leaving Summer Bay behind.'

Matt bit his lip and contemplated what she had said, he did miss spending time with Ruby and he knew that she was deeply apologetic about how rude she had been to him…

Suddenly Matt heard Indi laugh eagerly, her hands shaking excitedly as she stared out the window. Matt followed her gaze and there was Ruby, driving the car next to them. Her tear stained cheeks reflected in the sunlight and Matt couldn't help feeling a boost of excitement. Her messy hair was tied in a loose plait, which hung over her shoulder casually; her big eyes stared at Matt with such love.

'Ruby, what are you doing here?' Matt called out, lowering the window.

The heavy wind immediately echoed throughout the car, making it difficult for the two of them to communicate.

'You never said goodbye' Ruby called out of her own window, tears brimming at her eyes.

'We hadn't even had a conversation in two weeks… I didn't think you'd care' He replied.

'Ugh Matthew! Just pull the car over so we can talk' Ruby replied, her own car swaying over the dividing lines since her attention wasn't exactly focused on the traffic.

'I have a train to catch'

'Matt, please' Ruby insisted, small tears sliding down her eyes

Indi began to slow the car down but Matt placed an insistent hand on her arm and shook his head briskly, he couldn't succumb to her pleas.

'I was inlove with you!' Matt laughed cruelly 'You didn't even care'

Ruby shook her head 'I did care! I still do care! I want you to go…'

'Good because I am' he interrupted

'I want to go with you!' Ruby cried over the overpowering gusts of wind.

Matt shook his head sadly, his shaggy hair falling covering his eyes 'You don't want to come- you just don't want to be alone'

'That's not true, please Matt. I need you' Ruby insisted.

'Ruby, you have never been without a boyfriend, from that Xavier kid to Geoff, Casey and Romeo- you need to find yourself' Matt said back, he couldn't help regretting his words

'I have found myself- I suck by myself- please, you make me better' Ruby replied.

Suddenly Matt felt the car pullover, he turned his head to ask Indi why she had stopped the car but his eyes caught the sign. They had reached the train station.

'What do you want to do?' Indi asked him, nibbling her nails nervously

'I want to… go to Sydney' he answered breathlessly

'I'll miss you…' Indi gave him a hug and a big kiss on the cheek. 'Thankyou for everything, you never took me for granted, I am honestly proud to be your friend.'

As Matt excited the car, his suitcase in tote, he took a deep breath of fresh summer air. Fellow passengers swarmed around him, all eager to catch their trains.

'Matt, I am still here' A shrill voice called out, Matt turned around and watched as Ruby raced up to him breathlessly, her slender fingers grasping onto Matt's toned bicep.

'I can't let this happen' she whimpered.

Matt stroked her cheeks gently and groaned as she leant into his touch.

'I'll make you a deal Ruby. Two years, I am going to continue and complete my degree in criminal law. I am going to visit my twin sister McKenzie, take a break from all of the drama and… on January 1st in two years time, I will come back to Summer Bay and open my own Legal Practice in town, when I get back… maybe the time will be right for us' Matt told her in a husky voice

Ruby nodded reluctantly and stood on the tips of her feet, she leant upwards and kissed Matt's lips tenderly, the sweet taste of cherry from her tongue carried across into his own mouth. Matt rose his hands up and placed them on her back, pulling her small frame closer in-between his hips. As the kiss ended, he exhaled a deep breath and took a step backwards.

'Goodbye Rubz, ill see ya'

'C-can I visit?' she mumbled nervously

Matt winked and gave Ruby a sad smile 'I wouldn't expect anything less'

'Goodbye Matt, you will change the world.

And with that, Matt turned around clutching his bag and he walked towards his past, it wasn't a step backwards though… it was the step that he should have taken- now he was excited to return to the bay because the women he… loved would be there.

**Heath Braxton, Amber Braxton & Georgia Callahan-Braxton (**references of self-harm**)**

**LISTEN TO: You Found me- The Fray and Summertime Sadness- Lana Del Rey**

Months had passed, it was July- the weather was cold and constantly raining. Georgia sat on her bed, her head resting against the window as the cold rain tapped against the glass, her oversized grey cardigan was slung over her shoulders casually and Georgia continued to sigh against the window. A notebook rested at her feet as she hummed the tune of Summertime Sadness, Lana Del Rey's husky voice sung a melodic tune through the vintage radio that sat above her bed.

Georgia leant over and turned the page of her notebook, the delicate pages covered in her neat scrawl.

She grabbed a pen and placed it next to the book before standing up and facing the mirror. She still found it difficult to face her own appearance in the reflection. Georgia slowly began to undress, she removed her cardigan and grey cord skirt, the material shimmied down her slender frame, after this Georgia reached up and pulled her oversized white tee-shirt over her head. Suddenly, she was facing the mirror only wearing a pale pink bralette and a pair of pastel yellow underwear- all her insecurities were on show, bones protruding, all the ugliness that Georgia saw was on show. She hesitantly leant over and pulled the scales out from under her bed. Georgia put one foot on the scales and watched as the numbers jumped around depending on the pressure and weight distribution. 24, 40, 11, 22, 37- Georgia didn't want to move her other foot onto the scales, she hated the numbers- they disgusted her. But, something inside her pushed her forward and her left foot timidly slid onto the plastic base and the ticker frayed back and forth through the numbers. Georgia closed her eyes firmly before taking a deep breath and staring at the dreaded number… her weight. **40.1 kg. ** She didn't show any emotion and stepped off the scales before wandering towards her notebook that still lay on the bed.

January- 38

February- 35

March- 38

April- 42

May- 40

June- 38

July-

Georgia tried to smile and convince her mind that it was an improvement. She had gained 2 kilograms- it should be making her happy, she bit her lip and hurriedly scrawled the new number next to July.

A sudden knock on the door spun her out of her daze. Georgia quickly scrambled to retrieve her clothing as the knocking intensified.

'Georg, is everything ok?' Heaths muffled voice called out through the hardwood door.

'Uh, one sec' she called out, kicking the scales back under the bed and quickly wrapping her cardigan over her shoulders. Georgia opened the door and gave her husband a small smile.

Heath raised his eyebrow comically 'What's been going on?' he asked, noticing the straps of Georgia's bra which were visible since the sleeves of the cardigan had fallen to her elbows.

'Just doing some jobs' she replied quickly

'Want some help?' Heath winked, placing a finger under Georgia's bra strap, pushing his body into hers.

'Later' she mumbled

Heath nodded sadly, he had missed the intimacy with his wife- he hadn't had sex with her for one year (while she was in hospital) and for the first half of the current year- he wasn't sure why.

'Are you afraid?' Heath asked huskily, sliding his back down the wall until he was sitting. Georgia gave him a confused look and mimicked his actions until she too was sitting opposite him.

'Of what?'

'Me…' Heath stumbled over his words.

'What. Don't be stupid'

'G, we haven't… _you know _in over a year'

Georgia's body stiffened at his words and Heath immediately felt guilty for raising the topic.

'I just don't want you to see' she whispered

'See what?' Heath asked 'Sweetie, I have seen your body before- hell. We can do it in the dark!'

Georgia shook her head 'You will think I'm ugly, revolting'

'Is this about the weight?'

'No'

'Then what is it?'

'You will hate me'

'I cant hate you' Heath laughed

'You might'

'Promise, I will never'

Georgia slowly pulled up a sleeve and felt her whole body shiver as she showed Heath her wrists. Her beautiful skin was marked with small puckered scars, the reminders of her dark times.

Heath tried not to cry, it was upsetting to see his wife looking so vulnerable and scared, he had seen the marks before, ever since she returned from hospital she had been attempting to hide them from everyone.

'They are fading'

'No they aren't' She shook her head and rubbed the scars that trailed upto her elbow.

'Even so, it doesn't matter- I still think that you are beautiful'

Georgia shook her head repulsively 'You think that these are beautiful!' she whispered, her doe eyes full of unshed tears as she held out her arms.

Heath didn't know what to say; the scars were symbolic of her pain weren't they? Pain wasn't beautiful, pain was sad but it wasn't ugly. Though, these particular scars reflected his wife and she was nothing short of perfection so he took a breath 'Yes, because they are part of you… and you, Georgia are beautiful'

Suddenly Heath heard a loud gasp and he turned his head to see Amber staring at her mother's arms. Georgia immediately hid them in her lap and they both turned to their daughter speechlessly, not knowing what to say to her.

'What happened mum?' Amber asked

'I uh…'

'They are her battle scars' Heath quickly responded

Amber slowly slid over, her small body snuggling with her mother. She reached out a tiny hand and grabbed her mum's arm, 'Who did them?' she asked

Georgia's breath halted, she couldn't lie. 'I did'

'Wh-a-why?' Amber asked, her confused eyes darting between her parents.

'Because, I was sad'

'You had depression' Amber finished

Her mum nodded and gave her a small smile

'Do they hurt?' she nodded towards the scars, barely visible due to Georgia's folded arms, not wanting to display them

'Sometimes'

'Sorry'

'For what, baby?' Georgia asked, pulling her sleeves back down so that the scars were no longer on show

'That you were sad'

'Thankyou'

Heath watched onwards as the two of them discussed Georgia's time in hospital (not as graphic but still covering all of her emotions and progress)

After a few minutes Heath stood up and held out his arms to pull his two girls to a stand.

Georgia looked at Amber strangely before facing both her husband and daughter

'I'm going to go back to work' Georgia said blatantly

'Detective work…' Heath asked, his eyes wide with surprise

'Yeah, I uh think I need it'

He smiled in response 'Amber baby, how does a chicken salad sound for dinner?' he then whispered to his daughter, she wrinkled her nose in response and Heath just merely rolled his eyes.

'Save me a bowl' Georgia said casually

Heath's body froze before turning around; he had the biggest smile on his face- his eyes full of so much emotion and love. 'Huh, what?'

'I'll have some… I'll eat some' she said breathlessly, not wanting to eat but knowing that she would have to try.

'Plus, maybe tonight we can…'

'S E'

'X... actly, exactly right' Georgia laughed

.

**CHAX – Charlie Braxton, Ellie Braxton and Darryl "Brax" Braxton**

**LISTEN TO: oh god, anything! **

A few years in the future.

Knock, knock, knock.

'Charlie, this is stupid just let me in' Brax whined, sitting against the bathroom door, his arm sore from constantly hitting at the door.

'One sec' she muttered

Brax tapped his hands together impatiently 'Do you need help?'

'I know how to pee on a stick' she laughed sarcastically

'Ugh, ok! Just let me come inside' Brax insisted

'Noo, 3 more minutes, my man' she replied. Charlie currently sat on the bathroom floor cross-legged, the pregnancy stick sitting on the counter behind her.

'Do you think it will be positive?' Charlie asked, biting her nails nervously, through the closed door

'Hopefully' Brax replied

'Hopefully? So you want more kids' Charlie asked

'Yeah, I guess- it would be cool' Brax shrugged his shoulders

The two of them sat on different sides of the wall, both full of nerves and completely consumed with excitement.

'Maybe we will get twins' Brax laughed, imagining two tiny tan-skinned kids running around the house.

Charlie giggled in response; she always found it cute when Brax talked about children.

After Charlie's laughter faded, they sat in a comfortable silence. Both secretly counting down the three minutes until they could check.

'Charlie?'

'Mm.'

'Can I ask you something?'

'Yeah'

'You and me together has always been drama from being shot to being kidnapped… if you could, would you go back in time and marry someone else?'

She immediately burst into laughter, her loud gaspy giggles echoed through the bathroom.

'Babe! We have been married for 4 years now- there is no way in hell that I would ever even consider going back and swapping'

'Good' Brax smiled

Suddenly, he heard a creaking of the door and grinned when he saw that Charlie had unlocked the bathroom door. Brax immediately stood up and entered the room; he took a seat on the cold tiled floor next to his wife.

'Thanks' He smiled 'for unlocking the door' a cheeky smile painted on his face.

She shrugged cutely and snuggled her head into the crook of Brax's neck.

'I think we should move houses…' Charlie murmered spontaneously

Brax glanced at her, his eyes full of unexpectancy, 'Why?'

'Well...' she mumbled shyly, her eyes glued to the floor 'If we want a bigger family, we need a bigger house'

'Yeah, but a house any bigger- so close to the bay will be bloody expensive' Brax replied

Charlie nodded, her dark hair falling over her shoulders, 'which is why… I thought we should move to Sydney'

Brax couldn't believe what he was hearing, he would never had expected Charlie to suggest moving away from Summer bay, he didn't mind moving away but it was just shocking to hear it stemming from her own suggestion.

'Wow'

'Good wow… or bad wow' Charlie laughed awkwardly, her hands clinging together nervously

'Um just Wow' Brax admitted

Charlie pouted and slipped her arms through Brax's.

'I love you Brax, I love Ellie and I want to make a family together…'

'We already have a family together' Brax smiled, placing a finger on her cheeks.

'Yeah, but I just want to move away and develop our life somewhere that isn't haunted with shit and crappy memories'

Brax nodded in understanding, he also was scarred by the memories.

"_Charlie dropped to the ground._

_Brax saw her body collapse in slow motion. Brax immediately pounced onto Jake, his fists grinding into Jake's body. Brax pummeled Jake with all his might, anger exploded out of his uncontrollable body._

'_Brax, let him go. It's not worth it. Charlie needs help' Georgia called out_

_Brax let go at Hammer as Georgia's words sunk in. Charlie, his Charlie needed help._

_Ruby was currently crying and holding Charlie's head in her hands. Blood continued to seep through the white lace of the wedding dress. Her eyes were shut and no amount of spoken words would wake her._

_Heath stood up and watched Jake run away. F*** he thought to himself. Heath lightly picked up Georgia's slight body and he held her closely to his chest. Her wound was not as serious as Charlie's but she had been bleeding for much longer and the amount of blood loss could potentially be fatal._

_Brax felt his hands shake with terror as he attempted to dial 000. He eyed Charlie's unconscious bleeding body and pressed dial on the phone._

_Heath- still holding Georgia, walked upto Brax signaling for him to hang-up the phone._

_Ruby watched Brax hang-up the phone and place his mobile back in his pocket 'what, are you doing? Charlie, she needs help!' Ruby cried as tears continued to spill down her cheeks_

'_Rubz, if we wait for an ambulance to come…it will be too late. We need to drive both the girls to the hospital ourselves' Heath explained, his voice was shaking with terror but he was certain that it was the right decision."_

Brax shook his head as the horrible memory stung his brain.

'You alright?' Charlie asked

'Yeah, I uh… I agree, I want to move to Sydney'

Charlie slowly smiled, revealing her pearly white teeth, she leant over and pressed her lips onto Brax's, their tongues battling for domination. Her hands slid up his shirt and Brax moaned in delight. Suddenly Charlie pulled away, attempting to steal her lips away, she giggled cheekily against his pressuring lips.

'Brax, wait' she giggled, pulling away.

'What?' he asked

'The stick' Charlie nodded towards the pregnancy stick sitting on the bench. She slowly reached up and grabbed it, holding it in her clenched hand. Charlie's knuckles whitened with pressure and she looked at Brax with worry. 'What if its negative'

'Then we get to have more sex until its positive' Brax laughed, pressing a quick peck on the end of Charlie's nose.

Slowly she opened her hand up and gasped.

The stick glowed and two blue stripes beamed brightly.

.

**This is the end, wow. I don't know what to say because I honestly miss this story already; I love every single character, seriously- all of them! Remember when Charlie was forced to go on that horrible date with Ty? Or when Georgia was dying in hospital? Remember when Charlie was in a coma? Remember when Charlie's ex, Joey knocked Brax unconscious? Remember, CHAX? (The first story), this story/sequel has contained so much love for me and I know that I will constantly go back and read it because I know I have improved my writing and I still love CHAX. **

**Review please, this may be the last time I ever hear from you all **** but just know, I am planning to maybe write another ff on CHAX, maybe about 2011 ending and Charlie going into witness-protection.**

**A special goodbye to Georgia because unless I decide too god! Write a THIRD continuation, I will never write about her again and I feel that she should inspire all of you too have strength to push through life and never allow yourself to be smothered with pain, depression, ED's, cutting, anything. If you ever need to talk- I have personal experience with these issues so I would be more than happy to talk things through because alike Georgia realized- you are never alone, as isolated as you feel- there is ALWAYS someone whom cares.**

**XX I love you all and Thankyou so much for your support on this story and with the personal things going on in my life.**


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